Rock and Roll Annihilation
by bondfan
Summary: AU. Gundam SEED boys are in a band. Kira sings, Yzak plays guitar, Athrun plays bass, Nicol plays keyboard, Dearka plays drums. Mwu is the manager! Finally updated! Please Read and Review!
1. We're not Foolin'

**SUMMARY CONT...** This story will focus on an alternate universe version of the characters from GUNDAM SEED. In this story, Kira, Yzak, Athrun, Nicol, and Dearka are all members of a rock band known as _Iron Fist_. They are each in their mid-twenties and have been together as a band for five years. So far they've released three albums, the latter two have each gone platinum respectively. It has been a year and a half since the last album was released, the band took half a year off to get their personal matters situated. But at this time, the group is working on their newest album, titled _Rocket!_ This story will take you with the guys from the recording studio to the opening tour concert and beyond. Other characters from SEED will also be making appearances in the story. I've already mentioned that Mwu is the band's manager, but others will also be featured in this story. ENJOY!

And also, to give you a sense of scale on to who exactly is singing what portions of the song...

_Words in standard italics mean that just Kira, the lead vocalist, is singing._

_(Words in parenthesis mean that the background singers, Yzak and Athrun, are now singing. Kira on the other hand, is not.)_

_**Words in bold mean that all three, Kira, Yzak, and Athrun, are singing.**_

Once again, ENJOY!

Darkness dominated the moderately-sized, but spacious room. You could not see anything except from the dim lights shining through the window into the next room where several individuals were situated. One was a blonde haired man of about thirty-five with deep blue eyes and a playful smile. Next to him was an older gentleman with brown hair and a small pair of glasses covering his eyes. He was also taller than the first man and his face was serious as he glanced into the room. The third individual situated in the dimly lit room was a woman. A woman with short black hair and fiery violet eyes. She worked the controls of a large machine situated in the room, punching buttons and flicking switches so quick that it almost seemed as if she was in a trance.

None of these three individuals said a word as they waited patiently for the right time. Then the chorus began to sing. "Sound check and mikes, all green."

"Lights, all green."

"Amps and readers, all green."

"Guys are ready. Just waiting for the go," the blonde haired man said steadily. The woman turned a switch and at the top of the machine she worked, two broad circles began to rotate as a strip of black fabric turned inside of them. She turned to the tall man behind her and nodded her head. He reached forward and pressed a large, oblong red button that glared brightly as he pushed it down into the machine. Above the window, words in large capital letters were illuminated in bright red lights. They spelled out, _NOW RECORDING._ The tall man extended his right arm slowly towards the window and stopped when it was perpendicular to the glass. The signal had been given. It was time to go to work.

Inside the dark room, no lights went on. The room stayed in dead silence and total blackness for what seemed like an eternity. Then suddenly, slowly, barely even recognizable at first, a sound began to emulate through the darkness. The sound picked up energy the longer it played, growing louder and louder as it stretched on through the seconds. It was like a strong wind had suddenly blown into the complex of rooms. But no door was open. No window ajar. The room was cut off from the outside world, but the sound grew louder and seemingly more beautiful as the time pressed on.

The sound kept expanding until for the first time a light flickered on in the darkened room. The light was colored a simple bright white as it shone down, cutting through the darkness like a knife through a tender piece of meat. What the light illuminated was a beautiful sight to behold, finally being able to shine through the darkness that had masked it. The large full half of the object was colored a beautiful mix of white and blue, while the smaller, slender half was coated a bright red. The strings that were splayed from the tip of the slender end to almost the end of the larger half were glowing yellow in the bright light, seeming to be basking in the shine that had finally come to deliver it out of its misery. Two strong hands held the guitar, the left wrapped half-way round the slender end, the right not even touching the guitar, but allowing its fingers to dance across the glowing strings. The instant the light shone on the guitar, the fingers began to move in a perfect pattern. Up and down, side to side the left hand moved, playing with the strings over the red end, while the fingers of the right hand plucked the strings on the blue and white half. A beautiful course of notes began to sound from the guitar as the fingers danced across the strings. The melody was kept pushing forward for several seconds, a pleasant sound of only a few light notes that were fantastic in the way they felt to the ears. Behind the guitar's gentle melody, the sound of the wind blowing had been replaced by something else. Another light shown upon the source of the sound. This light was also a simple white, but it was much larger. It illuminated not only the source of the sound, but what was responsible for the sound. The light revealed a human of modest height, slender built, and a gentle face. His hair was green and at just enough length to be considered long. His eyes were closed and his lips smiled as he gently pressed down on the bright white keys of the keyboard below him, causing a new sound to escape from the darkness and into the room. This new sound reflected a chorus of gallant singers, holding out a low, but heavy note in a chain of deep, bellowing voices. This process of a chorus, underplaying the guitar's sensual melody, went on for several more seconds. Then the light that shone upon the multi-colored guitar expanded, revealing the source of the fingers that produced the sweet melody being brought to life. The individual was much like the one making the sound come from the keyboard beneath the guitar. A bit taller, slender, and an equally gentle face. The differences began with this individual's brown hair, which was considerably shorter than the former's. His eyes were open, a dazzling violet that sparkled in the lights as they expanded across his figure. A smile was also upon this man's face and the light revealed something else, seeming to float in the air directly in front of the man's mouth. It was cylindrical and black, with a soft, puffy end connected to a hard metallic end that was in turn connected to a series of slim girders that held it in the air. It was then that the brown haired individual opened his mouth, his full lips opening enough to allow his vocal chords to begin to vibrate inside his throat. With the guitar melody and chorus group still sounding all around him, the individual began to provide his voice to the melody that was growing increasingly mysterious and beautiful by the second.

_Lady luck never smiles_

_So lend your love to me, awhile_

_Do with me what you will_

_Break the spell take your fill_

At that moment, a new sound joined the mix. This one was quieter than the guitar's pleasant melody and the serene voice of the man singing into the microphone, but it was sharper and simpler than the ongoing bellows of the keyboard. A quiet, steady _da, da-da_, pulsated from the new object, or more precisely _objects, _being illuminated through the darkness. The light also revealed the blonde haired, dark skinned individual sitting comfortably upon a small stool, two skinny, tan colored sticks grasped in his nimble hands as they gently struck the white drum heads below him. This individual's face was more serious than the two others, no smile was displayed on his face, and his eyes showed a passion and a commitment that was light-years away from the other two. Nevertheless, the steady, pulsating beats coming from the drums before him, added only to the beauty of the sound that was quickly filling not only the darkened room, but the room next to it in which the two men there was slowly bobbing their heads up and down to go with the beat of the song. The woman on the other hand, was more worried about the machine in front of her. She too felt the beauty that the song was emulating, but it would be for naught if she didn't make sure the machine was working throughout it all. The voice continued to sing the moment the drums joined in, continuing the song.

_On and on we rode the storm_

_The flame has died, the fire has gone_

_Oh, this empty bed is a night alone_

_I realized that long ago!_

As the last verse began to escape from the singer's throat, the pulsating beat of the drums began to change. As the words came spilling out into the song, the drum beat became a steady force of single beats, growing more and more powerful the further they went along. As the drum sound picked up momentum, so did the song overall. The pleasant guitar melody suddenly was gone as the drums escalated, as did the chorus of bellowing sound coming from the keyboard. The singer's voice began to become sharper and more intense as the words escaped from his throat. Just before he sang the final words of the verse, the crescendoing drum beat was joined by another sound. Two sounds to be more precise, one with a lighter tone than the other. They were new guitars, one a lead and one a bass. Together, these new sounds joined the drum beat, escalating into a crescendo that exploded into a riveting guitar riff at the end of the verse. Then, the single voice was joined by others as all the lights in the once darkened room flickered on, revealing the room in all its glory.

_**Is anybody out there? Anybody there?**_

_**Does anybody wonder? **Anybody care?_

The lights revealed two more individuals. The one with long, silver hair held the lead guitar, a blast of blue, white, and gray all mixed together on both ends of the instrument. His voice was hoarse and loud as he sang into the microphone in front of his lips. He played out a stirring symphony from his guitar as he blurted out the words, adding a small riff in between lyrics. The individual to his right had long, blue hair that was slightly more bushy than his, and a small pair of sunglasses covered his eyes. His voice was pure and deep as he sang into the microphone before him, his fingers playing with the simple white strings on his bright red bass guitar, which kept the beat of the song in a driving pattern of ground shaking beats and rhythms. These two guitars, added to the first guitar, keyboard, and drums, produced a melody that literally shook the ground the room stood on. The song pushed on.

_**Oh, I just gotta know**_

_**If you're really there! And you really care!**_

_'Cause baby I'm not!_

The white, blue, and red rhythm guitar thrummed out a loud, _DA-DA-DA!_ and then it was gone, leaving just the bass, drums, and keyboard ringing as more words left the throats of the singers and shouted into the microphones.

_(F-F-F-Foolin',) Ah! (F-F-F-Foolin')_

_Not! **F-F-F-Foolin'** Ah! **F-F-Foolin'**_

Suddenly, the loud, obnoxious blares from the guitars changed into subtle notes that stretched onwards, mixing with the reborn sounds of the bellowing chorus from the keyboard. The pleasant guitar melody began again, piping its strands of notes as it played on into the next verse.

_Won't you stay with me awhile?_

_Oh, Ohhh, Oh-oh_

_Close your eyes don't run and hide_

_Easy love is no easy ride_

_Just wakin' up from what we had_

_Could stop good love from goin' bad!_

The drum beat quickened again, signaling the entry of the loud bass guitar and lead guitar as the fingers once again danced across the strings in a bright fury. Once again, the voices of all three singers were broadcast into the black microphones before them.

_**Is anybody out there? Anybody there?**_

_**Does anybody wonder? **Anybody care?_

_**Oh, I just gotta know**_

_**If you're really there! And you really care!**_

_'Cause baby I'm not!_

_(F-F-F-Foolin',) Ah! (F-F-F-Foolin',)_

_Not! **F-F-F-Foolin' **Ah!F-F-Foolin'_

Just then, the rhythm guitar, gripped firmly by the lead singer with brown hair, hummed out the _DA-DA-DA!_, but this time it was followed by a sound that seemed to be ripping through the atmosphere by itself. It was the lead guitar, played by the silver haired man, and the sound that came from it seemed to tear through the room like nails on a chalkboard. After each successive _DA-DA-DA!_, that went on three times more before the lead vocalist screamed into the microphone a loud shriek that signaled the beginning of the lead guitar's solo. As the bass, rhythm guitar, keyboard, and drums kept the beat going, the lead guitar soared above them all, ringing out a solo that streamed from high notes to low notes over a period of about fifteen seconds. The man with the silver hair's expression never changed as he played the screaming solo, still remaining in its serious state, though this time his eyes were ground down in a glance of concentration. Finally, he let the solo reach its peak and then it dropped out almost as quickly as it had come, allowing the player to add his voice to the two others who once again belted into the microphones.

_**Oh, I just gotta know**_

_**If you're really there! And you really care!**_

_'Cause baby I'm not!_

_(F-F-F-Foolin',) Ah! (F-F-F-Foolin')_

_Not! **F-F-F-Foolin' **Ah! No! I'm not Foolin' myself_

_(I'm not Foolin' myself) Na-na-No!_

_(I'm not Foolin' myself) Oh-no-No!_

_(I'm not Foolin myself) I'm not Foolin'!_

_(I'm not Foolin' myself) NO!_

As the voices died, the rhythm guitar once again let out its pleasant melody for a span of no more than three seconds before it mutated into the harsh, _DA-DA-DA!_, joined this time by the lead, bass, keyboard, and drums. When that happened, everything stopped. All the sound and rhythm disappeared. The only thing that remained was the low, bellowing voice of the keyboard chorus, fading gently away into the darkness as the lights dimmed once again, shadowing the room in total darkness.

Outside the darkness, in the dimly lit room beside it, the woman pressed a button and the spinning circles above her head stopped. The red letters above the window dimmed out and everything was quiet. The tall man with brown hair closed his eyes and smiled. "Can't believe it, but after all this time, they're _still_ that good."

"It hasn't even been five years yet, Andy," the blonde haired man, the band's manager Mwu la Flaga responded. In front of them, the darkness in the next room evaporated and the five members of the band were revealed in their entirety.

Andrew Waltfeld, the band's producer, reached above him and brought down the microphone that connected him with the next room. "Okay, you guys, that was great. Take five for now, guys, then we gotta get back to work. Kira can you come in here for a sec? Just need your input on what we got."

With the recording over, the crew and technicians employed at the recording studio began to file into the on air/recording room where the rock group _Iron Fist_ had just finished putting the finishing touches on one of their new songs to go with the upcoming album they were planning on releasing later that Spring. While fellow band members Yzak Joule, Athrun Zala, Nicol Amalfi, and Dearka Elsman filed out of the room quickly, the former two taking their guitars with them, the band's lead singer and rhythm guitarist, Kira Yamato, made his way into the room next door where the recording equipment and other monitors that captured the sound and feel of their recordings were located. As Mwu opened the door for Kira to enter, Kira wiped his sweat covered brow with the back of his hand, feeling the perspiration still dampening his skin and stinging his eyes. Five straight hours in the studio would do that to you.

"Did it come out like we wanted?" Kira asked as he came beside Andy and the band's chief engineer, Natarle Badgiruel. "That one portion you said we needed to rework that is?"

"From it sounded a lot smoother than it was, Kira. That bass line felt and sounded a lot smoother," Andy told him as the circles above them began to move in the opposite direction as the recording tape was rewound. "Think we may be able to work that into the album after all."

"What's that put the track number as?" Kira asked inquisitively. "I mean we pulled the two off yesterday and with _Foolin'_ added on, that makes eleven, doesn't it?"

"Eleven or twelve," Andy answered. "It depends on whether or not we can get that one portion of number seven smoothed out. If we get it working right, that'll make twelve. If not, we'll stick with eleven." Andy looked up and saw the circles stop moving and begin to roll forward again. "Yeah, can you just fast forward to that one portion at the three minute mark, Natarle?"

"Hang on," the quiet woman answered quickly. She pressed some buttons and soon the newly recorded song was playing over the room's smaller speakers. Kira looked up at the speakers as he heard his voice come over, singing the words that he himself had written. Soon they were at the part Andy had requested and when it was over he snapped his fingers in enthusiasm. "That's it. That's how we gotta have it. Nice job, Kira."

"Thank Athrun, he's the one that wrote the part," Kira reminded him. When it came to the group's songs, it was Kira who put in the concept and vocals for the songs, while Athrun and Yzak handled the instrumentals. Together, they had created such hit songs over the past three years as _Let's Get Rocked, Hysteria, _and their recent hit from their last album, the still chart topping _Armageddon It_. It had been almost five years since the group had been formed and three hit albums. The first, _Let Us Get Rocked_, had reached the gold mark and had two hits in the top 20. But it was their last two albums, _Love Bites_ and _Stand Up_, that had garnered them all the fame and media attention that the group now found themselves in. Both had gone platinum, _Stand Up_ reaching the plateau just a month before. This was surprising to the group, most of all because all five were Coordinators, and the sales of records by Coordinators hadn't been exactly successful on the Earth. But, times had changed. Now they were one of many artists, both Coordinator and Natural alike, who were topping the charts. For all three albums it had been Kira, Athrun, Yzak, Nicol, and Dearka in the band, with Mwu as Manager, Andy as Producer, and Natarle as Engineer. Together, they had found success as a cohesive unit and they were now among the biggest names in the music industry. But it had been almost two years since their last release and the public was drooling over the news of the new release when it was announced just about a week ago.

"We'll be able to use the equipment on certain sections to beef up the sound and smooth over some parts, but otherwise the thing should be ready by release date," Andy explained. "In the meantime, Mwu I believe you have something to the guys."

"Yeah..." Mwu said, trying not to sound uneasy. "Come on, Kira."

In the back of the studio building, the other members of _Iron Fist_ were lounging in a room they liked to call, the Breath Easy Studio, where they didn't have to worry about anything regarding the record or the public. It was just casual in here. It was displayed in the easy going manner of the group, Yzak calmly puffing on the cigarette in his mouth, Dearka flipping through the pages of a popular magazine, Athrun silently putting away his red bass guitar, and Nicol gently working the remote to the small television propped up in the corner. Not much was said when Kira and Mwu entered the Breath Easy, just some hellos and whazzups.

"Sounded good in there guys," Mwu acknowledged as he shut the door behind them. He prayed that it would still be there after he told them. "Very good."

"When aren't we?" Dearka asked sarcastically.

"It was a lot easier in there today with the revamped tempo and stuff," Nicol said. "Sounded a lot better too."

"How can _you_ tell? You can barely even hear yourself in the background, Nicol. People probably will think that the sound is you singing," Yzak said.

"Very funny, Yzak," Nicol chuckled.

"Settle down, guys, settle down," Mwu said calmly as Kira plopped down next to Athrun on the single red sofa the Breath Easy sported.

"How's she doin'?" Kira asked, popping the top on a can of beer as he sat down. "My sister that is."

"Great, she's doin' fine," Athrun answered. Kira's sister Cagalli was Athrun's new wife. That was one of the reasons why the band hadn't released an album in almost two years. Both Athrun and Kira had gotten married in the lull after the tour last year and the band had cohesively decided to put off on a new one until their personal lives had gotten settled. "Keeping an eye out for the press and the glamour girls all the time, though. Doesn't want any of 'em getting near her husband," Athrun admitted.

Kira smiled. "That's my sister."

"Guys come on, work with me here," Mwu said, finally managing to get all five pairs of eyes centered on him. "Look...I don't want to be the one that has to tell you this, but Andy and the record company are making me, so here goes." He took a deep breath and leaned against the door, just in case he would have to use it to shield himself. "The record label hired a journalist to accompany you guys on the next tour."

"What!" Yzak thundered.

"Aw, you gotta be kidding me!" Dearka chimed in.

Both Kira and Athrun groaned heavily and sank back into the cushioning of the sofa. "Don't tell us we're gonna have a camera shoved in our face every waking hour of the day," Nicol pleaded.

"No, no, no," Mwu said quickly, thankful that at least nothing had been thrown at his head. "It's not that reality tv shit that's big now. No camera's you guys, I guarantee it." That got some sighs of relief from the five men, but not complete relief. "It's just a journalist, like one of them magazine or newspaper people, you guys."

"No cameras?" Kira asked.

"No cameras," Mwu confirmed. "The person's just going to interview each of you and accompany us on the tour when it gets going. They'll be in here tomorrow to start, so I wanted to let you know now."

There was a long pause. "That's it?" Yzak wondered out loud.

Mwu nodded. "That's it." He walked over to the cooler where the band's beer was stored and quickly withdrew one. "But I can guarantee you one thing. If a camera _is_ brought in here, I'll be the first one to beat the crap out of the guy that brought it in."

Kira raised his eyebrows. "Your wife?" he asked quietly.

"Uh-huh," Mwu murmured, taking a seat in one of the easy backed chairs. Like Mwu, his wife was also in the music industry. In fact, she was a record producer which outranked him. On another note, Mwu's wife Murrue was the producer for Kira's wife Lacus' albums when they came out. And it had also been Murrue who had been put on one of those stupid reality shows that follow celebrities around and she had come out so embarrassed by what had been put on television that it had taken almost three guys to pin Mwu to the ground before he would have killed the bastard that was responsible for it. That had happened to several musical groups in the past, which was the main reason why bands were so reluctant to allow even a few cameras backstage during their shows or in the studio. But back in reality, Mwu shrugged. "Like I said, it wasn't my decision. The execs at the label decided on it."

"So if we hate this guy's guts by the end of the first day we can shove it back in the face of the execs?" Dearka asked.

"Hell yeah," Mwu said quietly. "I wouldn't blame you."

"Nice," Yzak confirmed.

**AN: **That's the first chapter. To let you know, **Foolin'** is a song recorded by the rock group **Def Leppard**, a property of the Universal Music Group. I do not own the rights to the song or the group. And on a side note, in my opinion, Kira's voice sounds pretty similar to the lead singer from **Def Leppard**. Listen to the song and tell me what you think. And one more thing. All the songs mentioned in this fic will be songs by **Def Leppard**. THANKS!


	2. Meet the Journalist

In a great flash of color and sound, the image on the television screen zoomed away from the comfy confines of the news room that it had just been displaying and instead was replaced by a complete fracas. Hundreds of people, boys and girls alike, were surrounding a stage in which five individuals were performing. The ecstatic screams of the girls in the audience could be heard through the speakers of the television as if they were right next door. The image focused on one individual for several seconds, that of Kira Yamato, lead singer of the popular rock group, _Iron Fist_. Kira was beaming words from his throat into the small head-set microphone which he used whenever the band performed a concert. The song was easily identified as the band's current chart-topping hit, _Armageddon It_, from their platinum album, _Stand Up._ As the camera panned back, the image displayed the other members of the band. Silver haired Yzak Joule, thrashing about as he ripped off a riveting solo from his lead guitar, Athrun Zala, sunglasses concealing his eyes, roaring out the bass line beneath them. And behind the lead three, keyboard player Nicol Amalfi and drummer Dearka Elsman.

As Kira's smooth voice boomed out the words to the song, the news announcer began to speak again in her pleasant voice. "Yes, that is _Iron Fist's_ current hit, _Armageddon It_, slipping to number two on our countdown this week after four weeks at number one." Her face turned to the two individuals sitting beside her on the television screen and said, "Guys, there's a lot of anticipation with the announcement that _Iron Fist's_ fourth studio album will be released this coming May 24th, what kind of expectations do you have for this new work?"

"Well quite simply put the pressure on these guys is enormous now," the short, larger man began. "I mean, their last two albums have both gone platinum, they've had seven number one hits combined on the two albums, plus another six, including the two from their original album, have reached the top 20 so the pressure is on them now, especially since they put this album off for a good eight months since their lead singer Kira Yamato and bass guitarist Athrun Zala got married last fall. But in my opinion, I have no doubt in my mind that this album will be right up there with the rest of their stuff, mainly because the stats say that it's the same group of people working on the album and Andy Waltfeld is back as producer once again.

"My thoughts are somehow along the same lines as yours," the second man, who happened to be balding put in. "I'm expecting nothing less than what they've been doing in the past and maybe even a little bit more because of the time off they've had the last few months. I know it's hard to top what the previous albums have done, but I think these guys are up to the challenge."

"The masses that the guys in this group appeal to are absolutely enormous. Guys what is it about _Iron Fist_ that makes them so appealing to the public?" the pleasant female voice asked.

"Well quite simply put it's their music," the fat man answered. "I mean, their tracks are listed as mainly hard rock, but when you take the time to listen to the stuff, it's actually pretty easy to listen to. I mean, it's not hard, it's not violent, it's not obnoxious. It's just plain and simple, gold old fashioned rock and roll."

"Basically these guys bring us back to when rock and roll was young all those years ago," the bald man finished.

"Well, we'll all be looking forward to _Iron Fist's_ new album, that will once again be released on May 24th of this year that's a little than two months away. Already reports are coming in that over one thousand reservations have already been made since the announcement was made less than two weeks ago." The woman turned to the camera and added, "And that brings us to number one on the charts this week. It's not easy to follow a group like _Iron Fist_ but many experts including our own say that this next group may very well prove worthy successors to _Iron Fist_. At number one this week it is the new guys from _Next Generation_ and the song from their recently released second album is **Come Sail Away.**"

As the beautiful piano intro to the song began to chime through the television's speakers, Yzak said, "Why do you even bother watching that stuff Dearka? Those experts are just a bunch of morons who try to act like they know what real music is."

"Hey, can I help it if I happen to enjoy watching the two of them argue all the time?" Dearka asked innocently. "Especially when it concerns us."

"Wait a minute!" Athrun broke in. "How can that be when it seems obvious that _we're_ the only ones that can get the fat guy and the bald guy to agree on anything?"

"Yeah, that should be our job when we're done here," Kira said. "International peace keepers!"

A chorus of laughter sounded through the Breath Easy at that time. It was one of those lazy mornings where nothing much was going on except to put the finishing touches on anything that needed it regarding the upcoming record. "Where's Nicol, anyway?" Yzak asked as he lit a cigarette.

"He's in the studio workin' with Andy on that one part in number nine. You know the one that kept on screwing with the timing and sound and shit like that," Kira answered quickly. He sat down gingerly in one of the cushioned recliners the Breath Easy sported and added, "Other than that we really don't need to fix anything else that we've already done. At least that's what Andy and Natarle tell me. All we gotta do is wait for that journalist to show up," he added dryly.

"Has Mwu told you anything about the guy?" Athrun asked. "Where he's from or who he reports for that is?"

"Not a cent," Kira said, shaking his head. "The only thing he's told me and to tell you the truth I think that's all they've told him is that he's from one of the Orb magazines, you know what I mean?"

Yzak sat next to Athrun on the sofa and said, "Well, hopefully that means they'll concentrate more on you guys than the rest of us. You _are_ the heir to Orb, Kira."

"_Supposedly_, Yzak," Kira reminded him. "Cagalli's technically the heiress because she's our father's _real_ daughter. I was adopted so the guys around him are trying to make it so that I can't be the heir to the country. Whole thing sucks really."

"I take it that the leaders of the nation don't want the heir to Orb to be a rocker," Yzak said lightly. "Same goes for the son-in-law," he added, glancing over at Athrun.

"Can we help it if this is how we wanted to live our lives?" Athrun asked inquisitively.

"Yeah, the way I've always treated it is that whenever the time came when I had to take over the nation controls, I'd stop doing this," Kira said darkly. "I really wouldn't have a choice in the matter...but I do what I love and that's making music. And I wouldn't have it any other way right now."

"Here's to that," Athrun agreed.

"Hell yeah," Yzak put in.

"I'll see that," Dearka finished.

Just then the door to the Breath Easy slid open and Mwu's figure waltzed inside. He held up a roll of paper in his hand and said, "Got the information you guys wanted." As he sat down in the second of the room's cushioned recliners, Kira, Athrun, and Yzak took the roll of paper and spread it out across the table before them, placing books on the corners to make it stay as it was. Mwu pointed to something and added, "The tour's going to start in Europe like the last one did in Munich. But that's not until June 9th. What we've got next is the photo shoot for the album cover scheduled for next Thursday," he said, pointing to another thing.

A silent humming sound forced Mwu to reach into the pocket of his shirt and retrieve his cell phone. "la Flaga," he said into the phone.

"Mwu, there's an journalist that just arrived saying that they're here to meet you guys. I told 'em to head on up and that you'd be waiting."

"Thanks, ma'am," Mwu answered as he hung up. He turned back to the guys and said, "They're here."

"Go get the door, Dearka," Kira said.

"What? Why me?" Dearka gasped.

"Because you're the only one that's not doing anything right now, genius," Yzak pointed out.

"But that doesn't make a difference!" Dearka maintained.

"Dearka, just _do it_," Athrun finished. Dearka finally gave a great heave and stood up to go to the door.

As he approached, he could he a persistent knocking coming from the other side. Dearka cringed at the thought of having to be the first one who would greet the journalist who, based on the tempo of the knocking, was very eager to get inside and see the band. Good God, what the hell was he going to say, Dearka wondered? How am I supposed to greet this person? _Just tell me there aren't going to be any cameras..._ he prayed silently as he reached for the door and twisted the knob.

The door began to slid open and Dearka said, "Hello, welcome to McHenry Studios of Orb, I am Dearka Elsman of..._Iron Fist_..." His voice trailed off at the sight that lay before him. The journalist...was a woman. She stood before him now, her features and movements displaying a manner of patience as she stood there, her hands folded in front of her. The only object she carried was a rose colored purse that was swung over her right shoulder. She wore a plain, pink sport coat with a white skirt that fell to her knees, plus small silver earrings dangling from her ears. Her hair was brown, falling to just above her shoulders and curling at the ends. Her eyes were a shade of gentle sky blue as they took in the sight of him. Her face smiled up at him, she was just about up to his neck in height.

Dearka was at a loss for words. So much for his words, they went up in smoke the minute he saw her. His mouth was aghast as he just stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he got up the nerve to speak again. "...Hi..." was all he managed in a hushed voice.

"Hello," she responded in a soft, kind voice. "You would be Dearka Elsman, the drummer of _Iron Fist_, correct?"

"Uh...yeah," Dearka said, stumbling over his words.

She extended her right hand to him and said, "I'm Miriallia Haw of Orb Newsweek. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Slowly, Dearka reached out his hand and took hers in his. Her skin was so soft when he touched it. "Pleasure's...mine..." he breathed.

She glanced up at him and tilted her head to the side a bit. "What's wrong?" she asked, managing a small chuckle at the same time.

"D'uh," Dearka stammered. "Well...I guess...I...we...the band that is...didn't think you'd be a...excuse my language, but...we didn't think the journalist would be a woman. I'm sorry if you take that as offensive...it's just surprising..." He stopped suddenly when she covered her mouth with the palm of her hand and began to laugh. "Uh...did I say something...?" he asked quickly, bringing his hand up beside his head.

"No. Just the way you said it," she chuckled. She took a deep breath and added, "Don't worry, I get that a lot. Though this is my first time covering a music group, let alone one of your stature, I have had my share of opening statements like the one you just gave."

"Oh!" Dearka answered, giving her a cocky smile in return. He inclined his arm towards the open door behind him and said, "Well then, please allow me to introduce you to the people involved in the production of an _Iron Fist_ record." He smiled down at her as he led her into the studio.

Dearka took the lead as he led Miriallia into the Breath Easy where the others were still going over the paper that Mwu had brought in moments before. Dearka whistled quietly as he entered, managing to get everyone's attention. "Guys this is..." He stopped as Miriallia came out from behind him, her cheeks blushing crimson as she did so. Dearka could barely make out his three fellow band members widen their eyes just a bit at the sight of her. Dearka continued confidently, "Guys, this is Miriallia Haw of Orb Newsweek magazine. She's the journalist that will be accompanying us on the tour."

"Hello!" Mwu said, standing up from his chair confidently. The others did so, albeit gingerly.

"Ms. Haw, this is Mwu la Flaga, our manager," Dearka introduced him.

He inclined towards the other three and said, "Yzak Joule our lead guitarist."

"What's up?" Yzak responded.

"Athrun Zala our bassist."

"Hey."

"And Kira Yamato our vocalist slash rhythm guitarist," Dearka finished.

"Pleased to meet you," Kira said kindly.

"The honor's mine," Miriallia assured them. "I've been looking forward to meeting you all for quite some time now. Dearka assures me that you were looking forward to meeting me just as much," she added, glancing up at him.

"I did?" She smiled a bit and then he got it. "Oh yeah, I did! Yeah, we've been really enthusiastic about having you travel with us."

"Yeah right," Yzak said quietly.

"Yzak, shut up!" Athrun retorted in a whisper.

"Uh, Ms. Haw are you going to be needing anything in particular for your work with us, because you know if you do all you have to do is ask," Mwu said generously to her.

"Thank you, but I think I have everything I'll need right here, Mr. la Flaga," Miriallia answered, patting her rose colored purse gently.

"Please, call me Mwu," he said.

"Okay, Mwu. All I'll need is a notebook full of paper and a pencil," she said proudly. "That's what I've always used and that's what I'm going to use when I'm interviewing each of you."

"No cameras?" Kira asked.

"No cameras," Miriallia smiled.

"Yes!" Kira said jubilantly, pumping his fist as he did so.

Miriallia glanced at Dearka for an explanation, but he just shrugged. "You'll get used to it," he reassured her. "Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone else, Ms. Haw." As he led her towards the exit of the Breath Easy, the others said nothing to him. As she stepped through the open door and Dearka looked behind him, he saw Yzak shaking his head and grinning back at him. Dearka scrunched his eyebrows downwards and moved his head as if he were laughing and quickly followed Miriallia out.

Inside the studio, Andy and Nicol were inside the recording room while Natarle worked silently at her machine in the room next door. Andy said, "Okay we got everything taken care of except for that one area at the one minute forty point. We can finish that later this afternoon after the journalist gets here, Nicol."

"You're right, but it looks like she's already here," he said, inclining his head to the door to the recording room where Dearka and Miriallia were now stepping through and into the recording room.

"Well, you must be the journalist from Orb Newsweek," Andy said, inclining his head in a slight bow to her.

"Yes, I'm Miriallia Haw," she said kindly to him. "You must Andrew Waltfeld, the band's producer."

"That's me," Andy said proudly.

"And that's Nicol Amalfi our keyboard player," Dearka said to her. Nicol waved to them from behind. "And that's Natarle Badgiruel, our chief engineer," Dearka finished. Miriallia glanced at the window to next door and saw Natarle give a small wave to her, acknowledging her presence. "She doesn't say much, don't worry about her," Dearka told her quietly.

"So have you ever covered a band before, Ms. Haw?" Andy asked her.

"No, never," Miriallia told him. "This is my first trial run in this area, I must admit."

"Hey, it's our first time with a journalist accompanying us, too," Nicol reminded her. "So you could say that for both of us this is our first time."

"Well then, shall we get started?" Dearka asked her kindly.

"Let's get rocked," Miriallia whispered back at him. Dearka opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly veered his head towards her in shock. Andy and Nicol both smiled and shook their heads. She knew their stuff.

Dearka eventually managed a smile of his own. He laid a hand on her shoulder gently and was surprised when she didn't take it off. "I think you're going to fit in right at home with us, Mir," he said proudly. She back at him smiled in return.

**AN:** **Armageddon It **and **Let's Get Rocked** are songs by **Def Leppard.** On the other hand, **Come Sail Away** is a song by the rock group, **Styx**. I don't own either of these bands or the songs to which they sing.


	3. Reflections

It was early evening. The sun was just now setting over the western horizon, casting golden rays of light across the landscape. At Orb's Kaguya mass driver, which was usually used by the military for purposes regarding space travel, photography crews and video cameras had taken over the complex. A barrage of fans stood just a short distance away, beckoned off by security personnel who surrounded the mass driver complex. They held signs and shouted gleeful cries as the five superstars of _Iron Fist_ were just about ready to wrap up production of their opening promo video for their new album and the photo shoot for the album cover and booklet.

It had been an energetic day for the band and its accompanying task force. Beginning in the mid-morning hours when officials had first closed the Kaguya facilities, the group had spent a good five hours toying with various ideas of the promotional video that would accompany the first single, which was the album's title track, _Rocket_. Kira, Yzak, Athrun, Nicol, and Dearka had all spent countless hours, take after take after take, and all the while enduring the searing heat that dominated Orb's climate almost year round, but now the day was finally finished and it was time to reflect and regret.

As the band talked amongst themselves, Miriallia watched from a distance, occasionally jotting down something in her notebook, not saying much throughout the day. She was just taking in the sights and the sounds of what it was like when _Iron Fist_ went out in public. She had anticipated something of an enthusiastic response from the crowd of fans that was almost guaranteed to be present at the sight, but she never could have guessed that the people would be this engrossed in the sight of just five individuals. Girls screamed in ecstasy and glee every time one of them would just look their way. They held up signs proclaiming their love and adoration for the band, but the guys didn't seem to notice. Unlike the person standing next to Miriallia at this time with her arms folded and her face completely emotionless.

As the girls in the crowd continued to scream, Cagalli Yula Athha-Zala managed to hide her emotions as she stood by, waiting for her husband to finish so they could return home for the evening. However, she couldn't help but fidget just a tiny bit every once in a while to just let her emotions slip. "This is hard for you, isn't it?" Miriallia asked her cautiously, being careful not to say anything that might intimidate the heiress to the Orb nation.

"Hmm?" Cagalli hummed as she turned her head. Then she managed a smile. "No. Not really. I've had to deal with this ever since they first went out on the road. Kira is my brother after all. It's the same on our father as it is on me."

"Do you ever feel that they're popularity may threaten to, how shall we say, undermine your relationship with Athrun?" Miriallia asked kindly. Cagalli stared at her blankly and she added, "Just from a journalistic point of view, Miss Cagalli. Believe me, I'm not making any assumptions of my own on the status of your marriage."

Cagalli turned away slowly and then sighed evenly. "There are times," she admitted. "You know, like when they're on the road playing shows, doing concerts. When all the chicks are surrounding them and grabbing at them, trying to get their attention. That can get somewhat nerve-racking. But I've found ways to just ignore them. Or just scare them away," Cagalli added lightly. "Same with Athrun. He even tells me that if I wasn't up to my neck in my duties as the heiress of Orb that he'd like to have me serve as his bodyguard when they go on tour."

Miriallia hummed in surprise. "Speaking of your father, what do you think his opinion is on how his son chose to live his life at this time?"

Cagalli shrugged. "He seems okay with it on the outside. Whenever Kira sees him they go about it like grown men and just treat it as something that he chose to do with his life. Granted that our father wishes for Kira to assume his role as Orb's heir when the time comes and Kira seems to agree upon that."

"So when he becomes the ruler of Orb he'll stop touring then?" Miriallia asked.

"Pretty much. Kira knows what his duties are and he doesn't want anyone to think that he's neglecting them," Cagalli told her. "The other guys in the band seem to understand that as well."

A short distance away the band was just now stepping down from the raised platform they had filmed the video on. Kira, Athrun, and Yzak were both removing their guitars from their neck straps as they gently set their feet back down on firm ground. Dearka and Nicol both began passing equipment back down to the people on the ground who were there to help.

"What's it like being the wife and sister of rock stars?" Miriallia asked Cagalli.

"Eventful," Cagalli said, raising her eyebrows as she spoke. "Plainly it's one of the hardest lives anyone could ever chose to live in my opinion."

"But you still love it?"

Cagalli nodded. "Wouldn't trade it in for anything else."

Miriallia jotted something down and then asked, "Did you ever think that they'd become this popular when they started out?"

"No, not a chance in hell," Cagalli said. "I knew they could play. I just didn't think they could play _this_ well."

"They say that they wrote one of their songs as a tribute to you and their families. _Miss You in a Heartbeat._ Is that true?"

Cagalli smiled. "They say it is. Athrun and Kira told me that they wrote it to let the rest of us know back here that no matter where they were they'd always miss being back here with us. The message was that when you love someone and you have to be away from them, after just one Heartbeat you'll miss them." She paused for a moment as she watched Athrun begin to thread his way through the gaggle of reporters and photographers blocking his path towards his wife. "So true when you think about it."

On his way, Athrun managed to slip through a few cracks and made a few zig-zags to elude a few reporters, but even he had to throw an elbow once in a while to create a path. Finally, when he had made it past the entourage, who now were more concerned with the other members of the band, he went straight towards Cagalli and Miriallia. Cagalli stepped away from Miriallia and ended up being scooped up in Athrun's arms as he twirled her around a single time. They kissed quickly and gently before Athrun said, "God, I've missed you. You okay?"

"Fine," Cagalli said quietly. "You?"

"Just great now that I can see you again, Cagalli," Athrun breathed.

Behind them, Miriallia smiled and wrote one simple passage in her notebook. Something that she was happy to write. _First concern upon reunion with wife, how she is doing. Nothing concerning the band. Athrun is one of the few superstars I've seen to do this. _

Athrun glanced over at Miriallia and smiled. "I see you've met our journalist. And you said you would dread having to do that."

Cagalli punched him lightly in the shoulder and laughed. "It's nothing personal. I'm sure Athrun's told you the story of what happened when Lacus Clyne, Kira's wife, had a journalist and camera crew follow her around on the last tour."

"Yes, he elaborated on it slightly," Miriallia said. "From what I've heard it was pretty bad."

"Bad? Heh," Cagalli laughed. "That's an understatement."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say that there were some instances where many of us were filmed in uncomfortable situations," Athrun said. "Never seen Mwu so mad before."

"What happened?" Miriallia asked.

Athrun rolled his eyes and said, "Cagalli, you'd better tell her. You're better at this stuff than I am."

"Sure," Cagalli said. "Well, the camera guy got a little overzealous and somehow got into one of the dressing rooms that they were using in the studio. And it just so happens that Mwu's wife Murrue Ramius is Lacus' album producer. So this was when they were in the process of making the album. The cameraman tried to get a shot of Lacus in her dressing room and instead he went into the wrong room. Murrue's room. And she was taking a shower then," Cagalli said, trying to suppress a giggle.

"Oh shit, I can only guess where that turned up," Miriallia replied. "How bad did it get?"

"Well, let's just say that when Mwu found out he wasn't too happy," Athrun answered.

"It took you, Dearka, and Kira's full strength to pull Mwu off of the guy," Cagalli said dryly. "Not to mention that it took Nicol and me to help you get his hands off of the guy's neck or else he would've strangled the guy the death."

"Then after that when they took Mwu away, Kira happened to find out that the guy was trying to get into Lacus' room...and then Kira proceeded to break the guy's nose and send him to the emergency room," Athrun chuckled.

Miriallia smiled. "So that's why you guys were so anxious to find out that I didn't have a camera with me when I first came in."

Athrun nodded. "You can drink to the fact that you won't see a single angry expression directed at you while your with us, Miriallia. We're much more mature than we were back then."

"Yeah right," Cagalli said.

"We're finished now, so why don't we get out of here," Athrun suggested to the blonde haired woman. "I wanna get home so I can change out of this thing." For the video, the band had each worn a standard black suit with matching jacket and pants, plus a white dress shirt. There were no ties. They hated ties.

"I take it you don't like dressing up then," Miriallia said.

Cagalli laughed. "You should've seen him at our wedding." The couple walked past Miriallia and wrapped their arms around the other's shoulders as they left. Miriallia watched them go and smiled. Ever so slowly, the smile disappeared however. She could remember a time when that had been her...in Cagalli's place. A strong, secure arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close. She shook her head quickly, getting the image out of her mind. That was in the past. She had moved on. Quickly regaining her composure, Miriallia walked back towards the set, back to work.


	4. Interview, I

**AN:** The next two chapters will be part of an exclusive interview between Miriallia and the band.

**Miriallia:** When you guys first formed the band five years ago...how did that all start out? Did you all start out together...or did you more or less just come across one another?

**Kira:** Well, originally...the band's name...has been around for about _seven_ years. Back then...it was me...Athrun...and two other guys.

**Athrun:** Yeah, it was Kira on vocals, I played bass...and we had two other friends...we formed the band during our last year at the Lunar academy, we went to school there...and it was us two...and we had a drummer by the name of Hollis Jurry...and a pianist by the name of Leon Patchiowski.

**Kira:** Yeah...at, at that time...we just formed the band as a way to pass time when we normally would just sit around and do nothing...you know how it is. We knew we could all play and stuff, so...

**Athrun:** We basically formed it because...at the time...our parents...Kira and I have known each other for years...both our families knew one another...and they were gettin' on us because we weren't doing anything with ourselves. We weren't involved in anything like sports, academically and such... (Athrun laughs). So we basically created the band so we could get them off of our case.

**Miriallia:** And back then...at the academy, what were those days like when you guys first formed the band?

**Athrun:** Kira and I...we were kind of you know, outsiders. We didn't really hang out with anybody else but each other, so...when we first got together as a band nobody had heard of us.

**Kira:** (laughing). When we'd go on stage and they'd say we were from the academy, everybody in the audience would be like, "Who? Who are these guys?"

**Athrun:** Yzak and Dearka were there one of those nights.

**Dearka:** Yeah it was a local bar and when they went on there were about, I don't know, five people in the entire audience. (Everyone laughs).

**Yzak:** And they were there just for the booze. (Laughter).

**Kira:** Yeah, way back then nobody knew who we were...the stuff we played was just some...you know some crap we happened to put together during one of our classes when the teacher would go into one of those long, boring lectures, you know. It wasn't very...elaborate. It was kind of shadowy...mysterious shit like that.

**Athrun:** Probably why nobody would book us after the first month. (Laughter). But anyway...we weren't really getting into the serious aspect of the band at that time, you know...it was just...we were like eighteen, nineteen at the time...it was just a way for us to pass the time and keep ourselves occupied. We didn't...think or even comprehend that we'd be doing this for very long didn't we?

**Kira:** Yeah, that's right. Never crossed out minds, really. I mean...I'm technically the heir to the Orb kingdom, so I really didn't think that I'd ever become a rock and roll superstar, you know...the only reason I was at the academy in the first place was because I was already acing school back home...getting straight A pluses in all my classes...wasn't being challenged all that much so my father...Lord Uzumi sent me up to the Lunar academy where I'd be challenged more often. But still...I always assumed I'd just be a king and ruler all my life so...

**Athrun:** It was the same for me, my dad's a..._big_ politician up in the PLANTs, so...there was a lot of pressure from him especially to...you know, do something with my life. So I was thinking about you know, what was I going to do after I finished school? What career would I go into? Would I do politics? Science? Stuff like that, so it really never crossed our minds back then that we'd be doing this for the next six or seven years, really...

**Miriallia:** When did you guys first start...realizing that you could become a great band? Like, when did the real band form and how did that start? With Dearka, Yzak, and Nicol that is.

**Kira:** Well it was after we left the academy, we...Athrun and myself graduated there when we were eighteen, so it was about a year later I suspect. I was back in Orb, living off my father really, trying to figure out what I was gonna do. Athrun was back in the PLANTs, every once in a while he'd come down and visit...we'd play around with our music and stuff like that. Dearka and Yzak would come down every so often...

**Athrun:** We weren't...what you'd call a band at that time, though. It was...I'd known Yzak and Dearka since we were kids and all...

**Yzak:** We'd all grown up together basically. I mean, we'd been friends for a long time...our parents are really good friends and all...like we said earlier we'd go to the academy every once in a while to see Athrun...so we knew what was going on with them at that time, so...

**Dearka:** We knew they'd formed the band and all...and we both played instruments, the guitar and drums, so we would go down there and just play around...fool around and stuff...try to make a few extra bucks every now and then...and that really was how it all started was we were short on cash and such.

**Kira:** Yeah, we were just hangin' around one day and then my sister Cagalli comes to me and says 'Hey you know there's a battle of the bands going on later this month, you guys should enter!' And I'm like, _what?_ Because we never really had thought about actually doing something like that-.

**Athrun:** And then she says 'Well first prize is two grand, so it's going to be featuring the best...and by the look of you guys you sure could use it.' (Laughter). So we were like, 'Eh, we'll give it a shot.' Long story short we needed the cash and we thought, aw to hell with it, let's go.

**Miriallia:** And Nicol...where did you come in during all of this? How did you join the band?

**Nicol:** Well it was just like they said. I get a call one day from Athrun saying, 'Hey we need a pianist for this gig we got coming up. You wanna do it?' And I said, yeah I'd do it. And that was about what...a week before the gig or something?

**Athrun:** Yeah, what it came down to was...we'd already gotten our stuff together you know, what song we were gonna do and stuff...but...at the time we'd run through it a couple of times and Kira says, 'You know this area or part right in this section would be good on a keyboard,' and I said well I know a guy, let's go ask him. So I called up Nicol...like Yzak and Dearka I'd known him for a while by then, so I knew he could play and all.

**Nicol:** What was difficult for me at the time though was that my parents...who were the first ones to get me into playing the piano, keyboard etcetera...wanted me to play classical music. That's what I started out on was playing classical music...they wouldn't ever let me play anything modern or rock kinda stuff for a while there...so when Athrun called me and asked me to come down and play I was like, 'Well I've never played rock and roll a lot before so it may be a bit difficult when I get there,'...but once we got into it and all it turned out great.

**Yzak:** Yeah, the way it was Kira, Athrun, and myself already had the music laid out you know...like the bass would play this part and then the lead would pick it up and such and such...we had the drums all worked out. We had to do the drum part back then because Dearka is a little...

**Dearka:** I'll admit, I'm not too good at the writing stuff, so I leave it to these guys.

**Kira:** That's an understatement. (Laughter). But anyway it was like Yzak said we got the song together in a week...cause the way it went each group would perform one song so we had to come up with something good...you know something that would really get them by the throat and rattle their cages so we came up with...what was it?

**Athrun:** Die Hard.

**Kira:** _Die Hard the Hunter_, that's right. Yeah that was the original one we did as a group...everyone's probably heard it now because it's on our first album...you know we decided since it was the first one we'd done, hell we'll stick it on the album and see how it goes. But anyway, back to the gig...as we've said before we had about a week to get the song ready and...well, we'd just put it together more or less in a few days time you know, Athrun, Yzak, and myself...so it was done in a speedy kind of manor, wasn't it?

**Yzak:** Yeah that's right. I mean...when we first performed it we didn't have all the elaborate performance equipment that we do today...which helped the album version of the song a lot in my opinion, so...when we first wrote it it was just a simple band song you know.

**Kira:** No special effects or sounds you know, like on the album one where you got the helicopter blades at the beginning and then you got like the steam coming out...and the sirens going off, that was all done on the keyboard wasn't it?

**Nicol:** Yeah, the keyboard I used at the time was...like a keyboard with a synthesizer built into it...my parents had gotten it for me a while back when I was young, so was able to use that to our advantage you know...like I'd play a note and then alter the sound with the synthesizer to make it sound more...exotic and mysterious kind of sound. But all that made the song better and it came out fantastic when we performed it.

**Miriallia:** What was it like that first night? The first performance?

**Kira:** Hectic. You know. (Laughter). Everybody was a little bit stage fright at the beginning weren't they?

**Yzak:** Yeah, like everybody had a little butterflies in the stomach you know and all that crap that comes natural when you're about to perform something you've never done before and such. But there was still a lot of pressure on us that night, mainly from the people who knew who Kira was and stuff.

**Kira:** Yeah that was...probably the biggest obstacle to overcome that first night. My being the heir of Orb, the son of Uzumi Nara Athha, the Lion of Orb, and all.

**Athrun:** The people that were there...when they first heard about us and that Kira was the lead singer were like, 'Oh the only reason they're hear is because Athha's kid is in the band and they're going to win automatically because the judges will be all sympathetic to them and stuff,'...so we kind of wanted to...you know, get that out of the way...emerge as our own selves you know.

**Kira:** We wanted to basically prove to everybody in the audience that we could play and that we knew what real music was. And by the time we were finished with the song...I mean even on the album it's like a six minute track so it's one of our longest ones...the audience loved us.

**Athrun:** People all over the place were standing up and applauding us when we finished. I mean, when we saw that I looked over at Kira and then at Yzak and they were like, 'What? What's this?' (Laughter). We had never experienced anything like that before you know...that people really did like our music and that we could bring a crowd to its feet and all. Never even crossed our minds.

**Kira:** And as it turned out...we won the competition...got the two thousand we'd been wanting...paid off a little debt that we'd managed to pile up over the years. (Laughter).

**Athrun:** Little's a bit of an exaggeration. (Laughter).

**Kira:** Yeah, we had to give away half of it just to pay our bills and stuff...but it was all worth it...I mean, when we won the competition that night...there happened to be a member of the record label that we now work for...you know, Orb Universal...the guy was in the audience that night when we performed and after it was over he came backstage and said, 'I love you guys. How'd you like to join our label and make an album?' And everybody looked at one another like...what have we gotten ourselves into? (Laughter). So that was how it all started really, a stroke of pure luck on our part that the audience really liked us and that the guy was in the audience, so that...really helped us a lot down the road.

**Miriallia:** After you guys signed the contract with Orb Universal...for your first album you were teamed up with Andrew Waltfeld. What was it like back then moving into the studio and getting used to big time music production?

**Kira:** It was different. You know...getting used to the whole studio atmosphere and big production stuff...you know we walked in there with a little bit of concern at the time you know, like what are we doing here, why did we do this?

**Yzak:** It was for us what it is for all new groups you know...just trying to get through the first album and come up with some good stuff that the fans will like. And we were lucky to get hooked up with Andy, weren't we?

**Nicol:** Yeah, Andy...made it a lot easier on us, being a new group and all...he's been around for what, ten years almost? So he had the experience that we needed for the first album.

**Kira:** Andy...well, he'd had some success in the past...moderate success with other groups...but when he came to us and heard us play some of our stuff...right then and there he told us, 'You guys are great. If we work hard and get what we both want from this album it'll be big,' so we were like, 'Okay let's do it.' So, that was how it basically all started with that album...we took it easy for the first couple of days you know...burying ourselves into the writing of the songs...we did that for a while before we finally started playing the stuff.

**Athrun:** Yeah, one of Andy's first edicts was that you get the songs together _before_ you start recording. Which in turn would make actually going into the studio and playing the music much easier than it would be if you just went straight into the studio, so...Andy was always, and still is, one of the best at that. I mean he helped us...immensely on that first album, really made us comfortable in the studio and stuff.

**Yzak:** Plus a constant supply of coffee! (Laughter). Yeah, Andy's one of the best coffee brewers in the world, much less in the music industry and that first album he would have us be his official taste testers for his new blends...and I think we each drank about four cups a day on that first album. (Laughter).

**Dearka:** Yeah, we had a hard time sleeping during that time. (Laughter). So much caffeine in our systems.

**Kira:** And what made Andy so appealing to us was the fact that he was basically a kind of nine to five, average joe producer and such...you know, he's not 'cool, he's not 'hip'...he's just an average joe kind of guy who just loves to make music. So that was great for us you know, just coming out of the chute and having him there to kind of ease the tension with us and make us feel right at home in the studio, so...

**Athrun:** Yeah, talk about easing the tension, which was immense that first time, Andy would say...when we'd be having trouble with some of our stuff like we'd say, 'Oh, this doesn't sound too good here,' he'd be like, 'Well okay, then do this.' So he was great in from that standpoint...and we really couldn't have asked for anyone better than Andy.

**Miriallia:** What stands out most in your minds when you think of the days making that album in the studio?

**Kira:** For me it was getting the chance to meet all the new people who we now work with all the time. You know besides Andy we had Mwu as our original manager...Natarle was our original engineer...there were some tense moments between the band and her on that first album weren't there?

**Athrun:** Yeah. Because understand at the time, we hadn't ever worked with Natarle before so we didn't know what to expect from her...I mean she's been around this industry for what, fifteen years or something, so she knows how to do things. And she doesn't particularly like being told what to do...especially if it contrasts with what she thinks should be done.

**Yzak:** There were definitely some moments on that first album with Natarle we would've liked to have done without...I mean, we had just come up out of the blue you know...we were used to making our own music, running our own sound and stuff, so when we went in there...it was a challenge.

**Kira:** The way Natarle is...she's a great engineer, I've to say that, she's the best in the business in my opinion...she just has an edge to her...that if you tell her what to do...she'll give you this stare...I mean it chills your spine when she looks at you like that...so we had to get used to that a lot.

**Dearka:** One of the mistakes we found that we were making on the first album was that...we would often come out of the studio when something was wrong and tell _her_ what to do about it. Wrong move!

**Kira:** The way we discovered on how to get on her good side was to just let her do her job. Not try to do it for her. I mean, after a while we got used to the fact that when something was wrong...we _tell_ her what's wrong...what we'd _like_ to do...and then she does it the best way she thinks is possible.

**Athrun:** So the best way to deal with Natarle...is to just let her be herself and let her run the machines...all we have to do is play the music...and she'll do whatever she needs to to make it better. But as for the album itself...there was a lot we wanted to do...there was a lot Andy wanted to do...and I think we got it in a way that we were both satisfied with it, didn't we?

**Kira: ** Yeah. I mean, we had a lot of ideas for songs and the stuff we've got on the album really is a tribute to the work we did in the studio. Like, we had _Die Hard the Hunter_ our original song on there...we had a lot of rockers on there...a couple of ballads, I think. A lot of stuff basically.

**Miriallia:** What songs stand out most from that first album, _Let Us Get Rocked_?

**Kira:** Well for us I think it's the title track.

**Yzak:** Yeah, _Let's Get Rocked_...that one's a gem in my opinion. It just came out so great.

**Nicol:** And what was weird was we were getting a lot of positive response from parents out there, who'd be calling in _thanking_ us for writing that song. Yeah, they'd be calling in with stuff like, 'Oh I love what you guys are doing! You're detouring our kids from using bad language with your song. Instead of saying the f-word they're saying rock.' And we were like, 'Okay?' Because we never planned that to happen!

**Kira:** We originally thought people would think it was ludicrous. (Laughter). You know, substituting rock for the other word. But it came out really well. It a lot of great reviews. A lot of air play, especially on the rock radio which helped us tremendously.

**Athrun:** And the other one that I think stands out is _Photograph_. You know, that was our first top ten hit I think it was. Those two songs were really what propelled the album, I think. Both reached the top twenty, but what stood out was that they were completely different in the way we went about performing 'em. I mean, the title track is more tongue in cheek humor rock, while _Photograph_ is more of just straight ahead, have a good time, old fashioned rock. So that appealed to the masses I think.

**Miriallia:** What was your guys' response to the massive outpouring of fandom that resulted from the album?

**Dearka:** 'Wow!' (Laughter).

**Kira:** Yeah, we were totally shocked that we attracted all those fans with just one album. I mean, would you believe it?

**Miriallia:** (chuckling). No I don't think so.

**Kira:** That was our response basically. We couldn't believe we had done this. I mean, when the album went gold we were stunned. When the tour completely sold out we were flabbergasted. When the label re-signed us we were shocked!

**Nicol:** We were all shocked...but I think there was a great sense of relief from everyone. You know not only us, but Andy...Mwu...Natarle...because we'd all come together with absolutely no expectations from anyone...all we had to do was put together an album and see how it did. When it went gold...the label was completely in the palm of our hands...they said anything you want, you've got it. And we were like...maybe we can get used to this thing after all. It was shocking. But on the other hand...it was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun making that album...and seeing what happened afterwards

**Athrun:** Yeah, all of a sudden I've got someone wanting to buy my sunglasses, the ones I wear on stage! He says, 'Hey I'll give you five grand for those!'. And I was like, 'Make it six and they're yours!' (Laughter). That's when I knew we had done something right or wrong.

**AN: Photograph **and **Die Hard the Hunter** are songs by **Def Leppard**. Once again, I don't own the songs or the band.


	5. Interview, II

**Miriallia:** After the first album tour was finished...what was it like for you guys making your second studio album? Was there anything different specifically?

**Kira:** Yeah. I mean...you know how it is with a group that's had...you know, success to a certain degree with their first album...by the time they get to the next album and such the pressure is even more overbearing...you know, to do the same if not even better on the next one. So that was...basically what the feeling was going into the second one you know...it was kind of a yes or no answer for all of us and not just the band...you know producer, manager, engineer, all of us...the pressure was on us and we all had to answer basically the same question...you know, do we wanna top what we did originally? Can we top ourselves and such...so there was a lot of questions at the beginning, but once we got all of that straightened out it made the whole second album much better, didn't it?

**Yzak:** Uh-huh. Yeah, what we basically decided on was that...you know it was like, 'Okay our first album came out great...now let's go do another one.' Things like that, you know.

**Nicol:** What made the second one so much more important to us, in my opinion, was that we all virtually decided that we wanted to stay around this for a while. You know, we just didn't want to have one major hit and then disappear...so we just mentally decided that we weren't going to go away. And so for the second one, they moved us into McHenry Studios, where we call home right now.

**Athrun:** To put it simply, the execs at the label had said to us, 'You guys have delivered a hit record, that's what we wanted from you. You have proven to us that you can do this, so we want you to have the best equipment available so we're moving you into the premiere studio we have available.' So that was kind of neat, knowing that the execs wanted us to have to best stuff for our own use in order to make the next one. So that was pretty nice and such...

**Kira:** And like we said earlier, when we were moved into the best studio available, given the best equipment in terms of sound and recording, and basically allowed to do what we love to do...we knew the pressure was on us, even though the execs tried to make it look like it wasn't. So that was the big difference between the first and second ones was the difference in the amount of pressure on the band. And at the time we knew we had to come up with something...you know good. Something slightly different than what we done on the first one...and it was kind of strange getting used to the new studio and all...so to get the songs together we sort of decided to go someplace else to get the writing together didn't we?

**Athrun:** Yeah. I mean, the lot of us liked being in wide open spaces sort of, that's where we feel we get our best ideas for songs and stuff...so we would go over to the Orb royal mansion where Kira and Cagalli lived. You know, this mansion is built on this _huge_ lot of land and it's got its own park in the back with all these majestic trees and stuff...and the scenery there is just unbelievable. So we thought...you know, it would be a good place to just get inspired or something you know, to help us along the line of writing the songs. So every afternoon or so, Kira, Yzak, and me would go out back there with our guitars and just sit back there, trying to think...because we knew about the pressure and stuff would be on us and that kind of motivated us to come up with...some good stuff. Some _different_ stuff. You know? And that's where a lot of the good stuff on the album came off, you know, the title track which was _Love Bites_ and stuff.

**Kira:** Yeah, there was this little guitar riff at the front that we've got on the title track...what happened was Yzak and I were just fiddling around with it...I mean, we'd come up with this little riff and stuff at the beginning and we were trying to figure out you know, what could we do a song about that this would fit in. And I think it was Yzak who said...

**Athrun:** It had to be Yzak because nobody else in this band would ever say, 'Love sucks, I'm never getting married. Love bites!' (Laughter). Yeah, Yzak had this status quo at the time...and he still has it that he's never getting married and stuff. He's gonna stay single forever and all that...so we thought, 'Love Bites, hmm...that sounds cool.' So you can basically credit Yzak with coming up with that one.

**Yzak:** Though Kira and Athrun steered the lyrics away from what I would've put in. (Laughter).

**Kira:** Yeah, we didn't particularly think that the audiences would appeal to a song about someone never getting married and shit like that so...Athrun and I basically rewrote the song from that. So credit Yzak with the title, but the rest was basically Athrun and I. But that was kind of the start of it all. I mean, we had a lot of ballads on that one. We had...what was it, _Miss You in a Heartbeat_ was off the second one.

**Dearka:** _Hysteria_.

**Kira:** _Hysteria_ was off of that one. But it wasn't just the ballads we had a lot of good rockin' tunes on that one. I believe we had _Comin' Under Fire_ on the second one, which was our first number one I believe. So, I guess you could say that album was sort of a coming of age, kind of thing for us as a band. You know, the first one wasn't a fluke. We proved that we could make great music consistently, so...that was big for us at the time.

**Miriallia:** How was it adjusting to the new studio?

**Yzak:** It really wasn't that difficult when you think about it. I mean, when we walked in it was kind of majestic looking and stuff...you know, all the space in the building...all the new equipment was all shiny and gleaming all that. You could see your own reflection in the stuff when we first walked in, so that was kind of nice.

**Athrun:** The people that work here were just great for us...they were nice, kind, and really took us in once we arrived. They really allowed us to just roam the place early on and get ourselves acquainted with the layout of the place so we would be able to say that we knew our way around it and such. And really that was all we had to do when we moved in was just memorize the layout of the place...because, as Kira said earlier, we'd already gotten the songs together earlier and we knew what we wanted. Andy and Natarle knew what they wanted...and we had gotten to know each other so well after the first one so we really knew everything about everyone that was workin' with us...so, I guess you could say that the second one was probably the easiest one we done, wasn't it?

**Kira:** Yeah. Like we said, the songs were all there...um, the management and the band were together, knew what everybody wanted so we got through that nice and quickly. So that really allowed us to just take our time making the album and make sure everything came out the best that it could. And it came out great at the end. I think we recorded that one in just over a month, didn't we?

**Athrun:** It was about four weeks, I think, yeah.

**Kira:** Yeah, and it did great right off the bat. I mean, the first three singles were all number ones...we had five in the top ten off of that album and another made it to the top twenty, so that was good for us. What surprised us was how quickly the thing went gold and even more shocking was that it made platinum in just over a year. We were like, 'Holy crap, what did we do?' (Laughter). You know, we never even expected that one to do as well as it did.

**Nicol:** Well, I think one of the things that helps our stuff when it comes to revenue and sales is that...when we record an album...we don't give any sneak peaks.

**Kira/Athrun:** Yeah.

**Nicol:** Yeah, we like, hold the stuff back until it's time for the release date. And with that one when we held it back and finally delivered the complete album...they were stunned. You know, they listened to it a couple of times, the execs at the label did, and they were like, you know, 'This is gonna be big.' And it was.

**Miriallia:** After the release of _Love Bites_...you guys embarked on your first full international tour as a headline group. You also toured with Lacus Clyne for a bit on that tour. What was all that like?

**Kira:** Well to tell you the truth we didn't exactly headline the tour...at least in our opinion we didn't. We shared the spotlight more or less with Lacus on that tour because...we both were selling a lot of records at that time...we both were very popular with the masses. So when we first met with her and her group...like we said earlier our manager Mwu...is married to Lacus' record producer Murrue Ramius...so that was kind of helpful to us when we first met her, we were able to get off on the right foot and hit it off right away. That first couple of days was really great between all of us. We really shared a lot of the same enthusiasm for music and it was just great for all of us. I'd have to say that that was probably the best experience we've had as a band...getting the opportunity to tour with Lacus, even if it was only for about two months.

**Yzak:** And like Kira said...this was our first international tour. We'd never really gone that far out before on the first album...I think the farthest we went was California in the AF...and on this one we went all across the world to Eurasia, the Far East, Scandinavia, all those places. So we were kind of nervous about that...you know, playing to certain people for the first time. I'll admit that even I was nervous and I'm usually calm, cool, and collected when we go on stage, so...

**Athrun:** That was another thing that Lacus helped us tremendously with on that tour...you know, she'd been there before us. She knew what the international audiences were like and stuff...so she was kind of a role model for us on that tour. She was able to tell us what certain countries or groups of people liked, so that helped us a lot. You know she'd be like, 'Well maybe you want to take it easy on some of the language in certain European nations, they really may not like that.' and we understood that and that really helped us there.

**Kira:** And it was great on that tour, just playing for those people you know. After a while we got used to it and we found that people everywhere really enjoyed what we were doing so...I mean, as an example...you know when we'd go into places like France and Spain especially and play _Love Bites_, with that little guitar intro at the front...the people just go nuts when we do that, so that was pretty uplifting and stuff...to know that we could do our thing and people would love us for who we are than who we're not.

**Miriallia:** Speaking of Lacus...Kira I'm sorry if this gets into a part of your personal life...but, you and Lacus are married now. Been married for about a year. How did you two get together or whatever you like to call it. I'm sorry, if you don't want to talk about it...

**Kira:** No it's okay, I don't mind. I mean, I'm not an egotist.

**Athrun:** Yeah right. (Laughter).

**Kira:** Believe me, I'm not. (Laughter). Anyway...well, I guess you could say it all started on that tour when we were with her and her people after we made our second album...that was the first time we met one another and we hit it off right away. I mean, the minute she walked in the door to first introduce herself to me...the other guys were busy on stage preparing for the show that night, so I was alone back there...when she first walked in, something inside of me...I don't it just clicked. Right off, something just went inside of me...I couldn't take my yes off of her. Then before you know, we're lost in conversation and everything else outside of the two of us is just a memory. I mean, they had to visibly almost drag me out of there just to get me on stage later that night. (Laughter).

**Yzak:** And even then all he talked about was Lacus. (Laughter).

**Kira:** Yeah, pretty much, I'll admit that. But, I mean for the rest of that tour...we spent a lot of time together. Just the two of us. Where were we, I think we were in the States, I'm not sure...

**Athrun:** Yeah, that was for the month we were on the east coast in New York and Philly.

**Kira:** Yeah. So, she had been there before...on a previous tour...so she kind of took it upon herself to just show me...us I mean, around the cities and stuff. So we got to spend a lot of time together and found out a lot about one another...you know, we both were deeply drawn to our music...we both loved what we did...we had a lot of things in common with one another, so that was basically how it went for several months, even after the tour ended and we separated. You know, we stayed in touch, we got together every once in a while, spent some quality time together...and eventually...we figured out that we were basically a perfect match for one another...we complimented each other in every way...excuse the fact that I really don't think there's much to tell about it...but we just fell in love with one another...and that's when I decided to propose...and she said yes.

**Miriallia:** That was after you guys made your third album, _Stand Up_, your most recent one. Was there anything special that sticks out about that album from the others?

**Athrun:** Well the biggest thing was is that we didn't make it in McHenry. The label had another group in here...an up and coming one who they were breaking in and when the time came for us to make the next one, McHenry was taken. So we had to go somewhere else...so...where did we make that one?

**Dearka:** New Zealand.

**Kira:** New Zealand! That's right. You know it just basically went the same way the second one had...you know we'd gotten together...Yzak, Athrun, and myself at my place where we went about setting the songs up. I mean we had some great ideas from the road and stuff. That was where songs like, _Animal_ came off. Um..._Promises_ was off of that one. As is our more recent hit, _Armageddon It_.

**Miriallia:** I've been meaning to ask you guys...how did you come up with that one, _Armageddon It_? It's so unique, I mean.

**Kira:** Geez...I think it was Yzak that came up with the style of the song, wasn't it?

**Yzak:** Was it me? Yeah, I guess it was. Uh...basically it was...you know, just like _Love Bites_, I had this little guitar riff at the front that I'd been workin' on for some time...and we were trying to find something that it would fit into. So we went from that first guitar riff and built it up from there to include...you know, the little riffs Kira plays when he sings the lyrics...Dearka banging on the drums every once in a while. But the hard part about that song was the chorus line. I mean, we had the song put together before we went into the studio...but once we started playing it, the lyrics we had in place there really didn't fit. So Andy asked us to try and come up with somethin' better. And we were like, 'Okay, we'll try.'

**Kira:** Yeah, we came up with that, 'Gimme all of your lovin',' line one afternoon during one of our breaks I think.

**Athrun:** Yeah, we did. That was the day that Cagalli was there.

**Kira:** Oh yeah. She was the one that originally said it, I think. You know, she and Athrun had been seeing each other for a couple years at that time, I think, wasn't it?

**Athrun:** Yeah. I mean, we'd been...I guess you could say together for about two years...just after we completed the first album...you know we just started seeing one another...getting to know one another...and by that time we were basically going steady. All she was waiting for was for me to get down on my knee and get it over with by that time. (Laughter).

**Yzak:** Yeah, when it finally did happen, she remarked to me, 'It took him long enough.' (Laughter).

**Athrun:** Yeah I decided by that time I'd waited long enough...I mean, I'll admit I'd been in love with her kind of since the first day we met so...I virtually decided one evening that hey, now's the right time. I'm stable as far as my income is concerned, so now I can go and do this. And fortunate enough for me she said yes. But, back to the song...she was in there one day in New Zealand with us and we were strapped to the deadline to get the album done...we had only about four days left before we had to finish it...and we were just taking it easy one afternoon and I was talking to her...it was just me, her, and Kira back there and I think I said something like, I don't know, 'I'll love you forever,' or something like that. And Cagalli goes, 'You'd better give it all to me then.' And then...that stuck in my mind from then on, you know, 'Gimme all of your lovin'.' And I pitched it to Kira and Yzak...and we put it in the song as the chorus line...and at the time the song was only about four minutes, but with the extra long chorus we added it turned it into about a five and a half minute track...so we did push it then, but it still came out great and it's one of my personal favorites that we've done, so...

**Kira:** But we still don't know who came up with the title for the track. (Laughter). Yeah, whoever heard of something called _Armageddon It_? Yeah, it sounded like something out of a T-Rex meets King Kong in L.A. kind of thing. (Laughter).

**Dearka:** With the Romans mixed in. (Big Laughter).

**Kira:** So that was fun at the time...it still is a lot of fun to play on stage...the people just went nuts with it at the end of the last tour, so it was pretty neat.

**Miriallia:** It was at the end of the last tour that you guys...Kira and Athrun...announced that you were getting married and you would be some taking time off. How did you decide to do that?

**Kira:** Well as a matter of fact we didn't even get to announce it formally. (Chuckling). Well I didn't at least. You know, it's our tradition to do that live music TV show on MTV...what's it called...? _The Rock Hour_! And we do a performance on that show at the beginning of the tour and at the end of the tour, so we've done it six times already. It was the last time we done it...at the end of the _Stand Up_ tour...you know, we went on stage...I think we performed _Animal_, didn't we?

**Nicol:** No that was the first one. The second one we did _Promises_.

**Kira:** Oh yeah, that's right. Well, as it happened...during the middle of the performance...you know, you've got the cameras all over the place...zooming in and out, trying to get good angles and stuff. Well, in the middle of the song...at the time that you know I'm singing just by myself without the chorus...the camera zooms in on my fingers playing the guitar...and then suddenly something gleams into the camera lense...and it turns out it's the gold ring I've got on my finger. (Laughter). Yeah, I think the initial report was that the scream level in some areas was almost to the wail of a police siren when that happened! (Big Laughter). So I really didn't have the privilege to tell the media myself...that was done for me by the cameraman...who apologized vigorously afterward...you know, he didn't know and that he was sorry...but he's a nice guy and we know him, so I was able to let him live it down. But the media sure as hell didn't let me live it down.

**Dearka:** And then when it came out that he was marrying Lacus, all the boys around the world had their fantasies go up in smoke. (Laughter).

**Athrun:** Yeah, so it all came upon us rather quickly there at the end of the tour...so that was a bit strenuous on us...and once we got around to formally announcing it...that was when I broke the news to everyone that I too was engaged...that brought the house down on top of me. Both publicly and politically I might add, because now the heiress of Orb was going to be _married_ to a rocker. (Laughter).

**Kira:** Yeah, I still don't think the politicians let my father live that one down. But otherwise...that was probably the best time of my life...you know...just being able to say that Lacus is my wife...it's great. We don't see each other for very long periods of time given both of our schedules with touring and recording sessions and stuff...but when we are together...I can see again and again...we're two of a kind really. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

**Miriallia:** Now getting forward to today...you guys just completed your fourth studio album...planning on going on tour again for the first time in two years. What are your thoughts as you embark on this new saga in your careers?

**Kira:** Just trying to get used to the prospect of being a married rock superstar, is my greatest challenge. I mean, I'm married to probably the most famous pop sensation in the world and space today...so that's going to be interesting how the media takes it. But really what I'm looking forward to is just going out to play in front of the people again. I've missed them all dearly.

**Yzak:** I'm looking forward to having a million something girls scream my name every time I play just a single note. The atmosphere when we play a show is just electric...you can feel the good vibrations coming just through the crowd's noise...and that really kicks it up a notch for us to play great on those nights. Those are the things I'm really looking forward to.

**Athrun:** Yeah, the fans are the ones that I'm looking forward to seeing again. You know, they energize you when you just step onto the stage and you know they've done some weird things just to get into the show and see you...so that shows commitment and that just wants you to make it so that they get their money's worth every time they come and see you.

**Nicol:** I'm really looking forward to being able to just play my keyboard in front of an audience again. I really thrive on when the audience gets to listen to something that they've paid a lot of money to listen to...and when you hear them chant your name...thousands and thousands of people...it does hit you where you live.

**Dearka:** I'm basically what everybody else said they were...I can't wait to start touring again...seeing the people...it's all great once you've done it and it all becomes worth it. All the struggles and trials and tribulations you may go through during the tour...it's all worth it when you see those fans rocking to your music night after night.

**All:** Yeah.

**Dearka:** Well, actually you'll be able to see for yourself what we mean. I mean, you are coming with us on this tour are you not?

**Miriallia:** Yes I am, and I'm looking forward to it.

**Kira:** Then you'd better be prepared for the ultimate in rock and roll experience. 'Cause this tour is gonna be the best ever and you'll have yourself a front row seat and a backstage pass to _Iron Fist_.

**Dearka:** Just say you'll have a good time.

**Miriallia:** Don't worry...I'm planning to.


	6. The Rock Hour!

**AN:** School has kept me from updating for the past weeks, so I apologize. Here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

Cheers sounded through the entire stage as the audience roared in anticipation as the cue for action was finally given after minutes, after minutes of waiting. Young girls screamed at the top of their lungs, their boyfriends squirming in the seats next to them, cheering as well, but trying to keep their cheeks from flushing bright red in fear of being seen. On the stage, a bright faced girl with long, red hair tied in two pig-tails that stretched down almost to her neck was clapping her hands with a microphone grasped firmly in her right hand. She waved to the audience a few times and then began to speak.

"That's our show for today, did you guys enjoy it?" Meyrin Hawke asked the crowd enthusiastically. The crowd cheered and applauded in response. Meyrin waved a few more times and then said, "But before we leave you all today, I have a special surprise for all of you out there!"

Meyrin turned her face towards the camera directly in front of her and smiled. "It has been a tradition on _The Rock Hour_ for the past five years! It is my personal favorite moment of any show that I get the opportunity to do in my life." The people in the audience began to stir in anticipation as whispers began to spread through the stage and crowd. "The tradition involves five very good friends of mine. I enjoy having them on the show just as much as you all out there do. They weren't able to come and visit me last year because of matters beyond our control, but now they've returned after two years off!" Suddenly, the crowd began to get the picture. Slowly, girls began to scream their heads off as it dawned into their heads. Boys began to whistle loudly and obnoxiously as the thunderous roar began to escalate. Meyrin had to pause for a moment just to get her bearing back together before she spoke quickly into the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen it is my great honor to introduce to you...Kira Yamato, Yzak Joule, Athrun Zala, Nicol Amalfi, Dearka Elsman..._Iron Fist_!"

Immediately, in a great, triumphant roar, the crowd in the audience stood up and applauded their guts out. Hands clapped, throats screamed, emotion poured out as for the first time, the audience caught a glimpse of the already set up drum-set and keyboard, waiting on the other side of the stage. First came Kira, his guitar grasped in his hands and his head-set microphone placed firmly on his ears below his brown hair. Dearka followed suit and sat down on his stool behind his drums while Nicol came behind him and stood behind his brash, beautiful keyboard. Athrun emerged with his bright red bass guitar to Kira's left while Yzak rounded out the group with his multi-colored guitar to Kira's right. The crowd continued to cheer mightily as the band stood on the stage for several moments, indulging in the sights and sounds they had become so accustomed to over the past five years, but were unfortunately unable to hear for the past two years. Now it was back...back in full force.

"My God, it's good to be back!" Kira shouted at the top of his lungs, getting a tremendous round of applause from the audience. "Alright, then! Now, since you've been so patient over the past two years with us...we're gonna do a song for you. It's a new one coming off of our new album! It's called _Heaven Is_. You ready?" The audience roared again. "Aw right!" Kira sounded off as he turned back to the others for one last check on their status. After getting a thumbs up from each of them, _Iron Fist_ was finally ready to return. His slender, brown drum sticks clutched in both of his hands and a smile on his face, Dearka gently tapped out four quick beats with the stick in his right hand on the high-hat cymbal right in front of him, setting the tempo for song, which erupted just a second later.

With melodic chords sounding out from his guitar, Kira belted out the opening strands of the song, a series of short, quick notes which his fingers strung out from the strings of his red, white, and blue guitar. In unison with Kira, Athrun and Nicol did the same with the bass and keyboard, adding to the melodic stream, making it into a beautiful melody. Above them, Yzak played with the strings on his white, blue, and gray lead guitar, beaming out a steady, _da, da-da-da, _over and over again. After about four repetitions of that brilliant sound, it abruptly stopped as the strings stopped vibrating and the band paused. The roar of the audience could be heard in the background as Dearka brought his hands up in the air and came down hard on the drums, signaling the beginning of a new portion of the song. It began with a riveting, thunderous sound emulating from the lead guitar, Yzak thumbing the strings on both ends, with Athrun's pulsating bass sound sounding on a steady, four beat pace below the lead, and Nicol adding his own notes from the keyboard. Dearka kept a steady beat with both the cymbals, bass drum, and snare as Kira belted out the first words of the song in his pristine voice.

_Hey boys, Miss Magic is back_

_No Hollywood waste, or tinsel trash_

_A street kid, she's no stray cat,_

_Heaven on legs, she's a feline flash._

_Takes a good woman to play a good man_

_And no one plays like heaven can._

At this point, Yzak dropped his original tones and began to play in tune with Kira's voice, adding his own voice into the background vocals which were also joined by Athrun as he continued to rumble with the bass line as the next phrase was belted out.

_She said_

_(Leave your name at the sound of the tone,)_

_(Call you right back when I get home)_

_**Better watch out when we're all alone!**_

Suddenly, Dearka began to thrash wildly on the drums and ripped off a quick strike on the snare drum, leading into the chorus line, with Yzak ripping on the lead guitar separately once again, Kira adding his own rhythm guitar to the mix, supported by Athrun's bass and Nicol's riveting keyboard line.

_**Heaven is a girl that I know so well!**_

_She makes me feel better when I feel like hell!_

_**Heaven is a girl that I've got to have!**_

_And she makes me feel better when I'm feelin' bad!_

Kira's guitar drifted away into the wave of sound as the original melody of Athrun's four-beat bass line, Nicol's steady keyboard, Dearka's booming drum sound, and Yzak's lead guitar riffs began to pick up the pace of the song once again. Each one had a big grin on their individual faces, displaying their happiness and glee at being able to play before this great crowd, who were absolutely going berserk as Kira began to belt out the next verse.

_Hey Boys, Miss Magic is mine_

_No silicone smile, she's vintage wine_

_Bombshell blonde, red lipstick on_

_Aqualine fine she's a real wild one_

_She said_

_(Leave your name at the sound of the tone,)_

_(Call you right back when I get home)_

_**Better watch out when we're all alone!**_

The camera turned to the audience and showed many of the crowd dancing around and holding their hands up high as they listened to the chorus line emerge once again.

_**Heaven is a girl I know so well!**_

_She makes me feel better when I feel like hell!_

_**Heaven is a girl that I've got to have!**_

_And she makes me feel better when I'm feelin' bad!_

_**And Heaven is a girl that makes dreams come true!**_

At that moment of the song, Dearka began to pound out a series of straight, intense shots on his drums as Athrun, Kira, and Nicol each held out a long, sharp chord on their instruments. This series continued as the next words flew out of Kira, Athrun, and Yzak's vocal chords.

_Oh no one does it good like Heaven do!_

_(She's got the rhythm to drive me crazy!)_

_**She's got the rhythm of love!**_

As their voices died out, Athrun turned down the bass' four-beat line in order to allow Yzak to begin a solo that consisted mainly of straight notes that went up and down, down and up on the scale. Kira and Athrun both backed up so Yzak could step out and be recognized for the signature lead guitar player that he was. The crowd went nuts as he played out his solo, electrifying the atmosphere of the studio. Meyrin herself was dancing off to the side as Athrun turned back up the bass and Kira brought in a rhythm guitar push behind Yzak, who then proceeded to launch his guitar into higher range, barking out a series of swinging, staggering riffs that pushed through the entire studio that seemed to blow everyone's minds. Then, as suddenly as it had started, Yzak quickly drew backwards towards the microphone on the far right as Kira and Athrun stepped forward once again, their fingers continuing to torch the strings on their guitars.

_She said_

_(Leave your name at the sound of the tone,)_

_(The lights are off, but there's somebody home)_

_**Better watch out when we're all alone!**_

The crowd screamed in ecstasy as the chorus rained down upon them for one last hurrah!

_**Heaven is a girl I know so well!**_

_She makes me feel good when I feel like hell!_

_**Heaven is a girl that I've got to have!**_

_And she makes me feel better when I'm feelin' bad!_

_**Heaven is a girl that makes dreams come true!**_

_And no one does it good like Heaven do!_

_**Heaven is a girl that I've got to have!**_

_She makes me feel good when I feel like hell!_

_**Heaven is a girl,** she makes dreams come true!_

_And no one does it good like heaven do!_

Dearka pounded out a quick three strikes on the bass drum, followed by a long, straight note held out by all three guitars plus the keyboard, signaling the end of the song. Almost as an afterthought, and barely audible over the roar of the audience, Kira added the final lyric to the song.

_That voodoo that you do_

All at once the audience exploded in resounding applause, clapping hands, piercing whistles, gleeful cries of ecstasy. All five members of the band stood and took a series of bows. Meyrin emerged from her hiding spot on the side of the stage and began to scream along with the crowd. She and Kira shared a brief hug as she yelled out, "That's our show. Thank you! Wahoo!" The applause continued long after the cue for the end of the show was given and the people on stage had begun to fill out into the backstage areas. As the band returned to the back they found Mwu and Miriallia each giving them a round of applause as they filtered in. Seemingly as a matter of fact, the group quickly opened up a six pack and drained as much as they could down, trying to get their thoughts together. Each of them had congratulated the other on a job well done. Everyone except for Miriallia enjoyed dousing themselves with an ice cold drink after the show and pretty soon, everything had died down to where it was just Kira, Athrun, Dearka, and Miriallia alone in one of the backstage rooms.

Finally, Dearka got up the courage to ask the question everyone had hated to have to ask. He turned to Miriallia and said, "So, what did you think?"

"What about?" Miriallia said, smiling.

"About us!" Dearka reminded her cheerfully. "How'd we sound? It was the first time you heard us at a live performance."

"Oh, it was great," Miriallia said quickly. "Very exhilarating..."

Athrun chuckled. "Okay we can take a hint, we sounded like crap."

"No, no!" Miriallia quickly responded, before being caught up in the laughter that had come over the small group. Covering her own mouth to hide her laughter, Miriallia finally added, "I'd just never been to a performance like _this _before. I mean, you guys _are_ music today. There's no other band that has this much of a following and support throughout world culture. It was amazing to see it all up close for the first time. I'd just never experienced anything like this before, that's all."

"Ah, that's what we like to hear," Dearka chimed in. "We made a new fan."

"Don't worry Miriallia, you'll be seeing a lot more of where that came from when we start touring in two weeks," Kira reminded her.

"Yeah, we start in Europe, and you can only imagine what that's going to be like," Dearka put in.

"Actually, I've never been to Europe before," Miriallia admitted. "I really can't wait to arrive there and see everything. Hopefully you guys will know your way around and will be able to fill me in on everything."

"Everyone except Kira that is," Dearka said. "You won't be seeing much of him for the first few days we're there."

"Why?"

"Because Lacus is in Germany the week we're there," Kira said quickly.

"Ohh..." Miriallia hummed in response. "I understand."

"Yeah, Kira's gonna be busy catching up, so you'll have to live with us. Think you can handle us?" Dearka asked casually.

Miriallia shrugged. "I'll do my best."

Dearka smiled. "That's what we like to hear. Don't worry, you'll have a lot of fun there Mir. I can promise you that."

"Thanks Dearka," Miriallia said in response. Then under her breath she added, "Thanks so much."

**AN:** **Heaven Is** is a song by the rock group **Def Leppard**.

On another note, I hope you noticed that I've worked in a DESTINY character into the storyline. I am planning on having many more of them join up with the group along the way. Next chapter, the tour starts. What trials wait for the band along the way? You'll just have to wait and see. Oh, and to the people who've been wondering about the romance...it will begin to pick up in the next chapter. See ya soon!


	7. Lead me On

All that could be heard coming from the adjacent room was a quiet, almost persistent, deep sigh. It was barely audible above the air conditioner blaring in the distance, pumping out a mammoth amount of cool, pleasant air, which was welcome given that it was the middle of summer in Germany. The city of Berlin was just now waking up from its peaceful night slumber, the sun slowly creeping above the eastern horizon. Germans were barely managing to struggle out of their beds on this beautiful, clear morning. Many of them were clambering into cabs and buses immediately below the grand hotel that jutted into the sky in the middle of the city. On the top floor, reserved for only the most ravishing guests, the sun reflected off of the clear windows and spilled into room number 905, straight into the eyes of the figures crouched on the floor, their knees aching from having been in this precarious position for almost fifteen minutes.

Nicol had to squint his eyes in order to keep the sun out of them and was barely kept from making a cry from his throat by the quick hand of Yzak which came across his mouth. "Damn it Nicol, what's wrong?"

"Sorry!" Nicol retorted in a whisper. "Sun was in my eyes." He shook his head quickly and turned back to his work. A small hole that had once been an electrical outlet, now stripped of wires and other dangerous material that would hamper his work. "This is delicate work you know. One wrong move and I'm turned into a neon hotel sign." Nicol's hands were grasped around a small piece of plastic chord that was extended into one end of the cleared outlet, which was connected to the room next door. Fortunately enough for the three people crouched against the wall, besides Nicol and Yzak, Dearka was also pressed up against the dull gray wall, it didn't appear as though the people in the next room had heard a sound. "Almost got it," Nicol said, his voice barely audible.

"You sure you got it programmed right?" Dearka asked quietly.

"I think so. You wanted _Rocket_ in there right?"

"Uh-huh," Yzak said. "That's the only one that could possibly work. Provided that it's in the right spot."

"It is, don't worry," Nicol responded. He let loose a tad bit more of the chord and managed to get it to barely rub against something soft and springy. "I got it to the mattress."

"Move it up," Yzak ordered. "We got to get it next to him for it work."

"For what to work?" came a voice from beside them. Nicol jumped backwards and landed in Yzak's lap sending him flying backwards onto the floor. Dearka flattened himself against the corner of the room and all three of them managed to take in Athrun's commanding figure standing just a few feet away, his green eyes visibly sleep deprived. "What...are you guys doing...?"

"Uh...well...we were...uh..." Nicol's voice was stammered as he tried to get the words to come out right.

Athrun squatted down on his knees and glanced at the plastic chord that extended through the hollowed electric outlet and into the next room. "Why'd you guys rip out an outlet? Are you _trying_ to literally leave your mark on this hotel?"

"Uh..." all three managed to mutter, not giving Athrun a clear answer.

Athrun stared at the outlet for a second, then picked up the chord in his hands and studied it carefully. Then he realized something. He turned to his friends and asked, "That's Kira's room isn't it?"

The trio paused uneasily. "Yeah...it is..." Nicol managed to utter. Dearka and Yzak looked slightly discouraged as he said those words, practically giving away their secret objective.

Athrun too paused for a few seconds. "Were you guys trying to...?"

"Yeah," Dearka answered quickly. "Revenge."

"Comic retribution is more accurate," Nicol put in. "We were only trying to get him back for the last time. You remember."

"The super lax brownies?" Each one of the terrible trio nodded slowly and Athrun shook his head for a moment. Then he smiled. "Can't still figure out how he got us on that."

The others were a bit taken back by Athrun's words and eventually Yzak said, "This was going to be our little way of getting back at him for all that, but now that you're here..."

"Sorry did I spoil the surprise?" Athrun asked sheepishly.

"Not as of yet..." Nicol managed. "But...since you're here..."

Athrun paused and glanced seriously at his friends. They all averted their gaze for a moment, looking rather foolish for trying to pull such a childish retaliation. But then, much to everyone's surprise, Athrun said, "Why didn't you tell me about it earlier? I've would've joined you guys in a heartbeat!" While Nicol's mouth dropped a slight bit, Yzak and Dearka chuckled in a whisper. Athrun grinned like a school boy as he crept along the wall and added, "You forget, he got me with those brownies too. Now...how's this thing work?"

"There's a speaker attached to the other end," Nicol whispered quickly. "We send it into the room while he's sleeping and programmed a single playback from one song into it."

"Which one?"

"_Rocket_, the chorus section," Nicol confirmed.

Athrun shook his head and closed his eyes. "Talk about a wake up call. My only question is what's gonna happen when-?"

"He's not gonna do anything, remember. He's been busy enough as it is tonight," Yzak reminded him. Athrun nodded his head and Nicol set back to work.

On the other side of the wall, the tiny speaker on the end of the plastic chord was maneuvered upwards from its original resting place on the ground. It crept up the white mattress like a tiny ant stalking a piece of bread crumb and eventually made its way up to the top, where blankets lay strewn about. Suddenly, the speaker touched something soft and warm. The object moved slightly, turning over onto its back, nearly crushing the speaker as it did so. Retreating rather quickly, the ant-like speaker readjusted itself on the mattress and finally found its resting place on the soft, white sheet just behind a pillow like object that was just as soft and smooth. After a few seconds of delay, a soft click could be heard on the other side of the wall as the people on the other side held their collective breath and tried desperately not to laugh. The speaker opened its voice and sang out into the quiet at the top of its volume level.

_**Rocket! Yeah! Satellite of Love!**_

Kira's violet eyes flashed open as he cried out in anguish. The sheets that barely covered him went flying as he sat up quickly and nearly toppled over the side of the bed. He gasped loudly and frequently as his mind raced and tried to ascertain what in the hell had just happened. He could still hear the loud voice emanating from somewhere in this room and his eyes darted this way and that as he tried to locate the source. Kira managed to pull the sheet around his waist as his ears followed the continuing chorus to the source just beneath his pillow. He spotted the speaker that was no bigger than an ant and picked it up gently between his index finger and thumb. He listened carefully and then it hit him right in the head. It was his _own_ voice that he was hearing. His own voice singing the title track to _Iron Fist's_ new album, scheduled for release in two weeks. And there was only one explanation as to how this was already being played over a speaker system.

Kira shook his head and managed a small grin. He noted the plastic chord attached to the end of the speaker and saw that it went through a hollowed out electrical outlet into the next room. That was where Nicol and Yzak were bunking while the band was in Berlin for the weekend. Kira's mind flashed back to the previous year...when he had conveniently slipped in a batch of chocolate super lax into a batch of brownies he had cooked for the band. That was retaliation of course for the frozen bottle of shaving cream that Yzak had laid in his traveling bag on the previous tour, only to have it explode all over Kira's personal belongings. This was common among the members of the band...one of them would play a practical joke on one member and then that member would retaliate. But this act would no doubtedly involve more than just one individual. Kira shook his head once again and leaned up against the wall behind the bed.

"Very funny, you guys. You got me, I admit it!" he called. On the other side of the wall, Kira heard the barely audible sound of resounding laughter coming from the mouths of his friends. Kira smiled an even brighter smile as he heard their laughter. At least this proved that the band was sticking together through thick and through thin.

"I'm guessing that was payback." Kira did not move at the sound of the quiet, peaceful voice in the bed next to him. He just closed his eyes and sighed happily.

"Yeah," he whispered. "I gotta admit, they know how to retaliate." Almost as gently as a quiet breeze flowing across him, the body of the beautiful pink haired princess slowly pressed herself against Kira's side and laid her beautiful head against his left shoulder. Kira brought his free hand up to stroke the smooth skin of her shoulder as Lacus Clyne breathed gently against him. "You okay? That didn't wake you did it?"

"Of course it did, silly," Lacus answered. "How could I not recognize your sweet voice, Kira?"

"You mean you're not upset?" Kira asked thoughtfully, his eyes taking in her beautiful form, naked beneath the sheet that concealed her from him as evidenced by the night of long overdue passion they had shared the night before. That was probably why Athrun, Yzak, and everyone else had picked tonight for their retaliation on him.

Lacus smiled. "Why should I be? This just proves to me that you have some great friends who will never let you feel lonely when I'm away, Kira. I'm indebted to them for that. They keep my big, strong teddy bear company while I'm away." Lacus' voice took a playful tone when she added, "And make sure he doesn't get any funny ideas when he's on the road. Right?"

"Never, Miss Lacus," Kira hissed. "Not a chance in hell would I even _think_ of breaking your heart."

"I know, husband," Lacus whispered, snuggling her pink locks into his strong and equally sexy chest. "But...just to be sure...you'll have to prove it to me."

Kira smiled. "It would be my pleasure to, my princess." Their lips met in a sweet kiss and they let the passion overcome their bodies once again.

_

* * *

"It's official! Iron Fist __has once again shattered the records! Their newly released fourth album, _Rocket_, has set the record for most sales in its first week of release, selling over 200,000 worldwide. The band featuring rising stars Kira Yamato, Athrun Zala, Yzak Joule, Nicol Amalfi, and Dearka Elsman have their sights set on the stars. Their tour kicked off last week in Munich, Germany to a resounding response from their fans as the first concert was sold out in just ten minutes!"_

_"After Germany, the group tore across the northern part of Europe hitting stops in Norway, France, and Spain before finally returning for one last show in Berlin, scheduled to go tonight. And as a special treat for their fans and others, it was announced only last week that the group will share the spotlight on that fantastic night with none other than Kira's beautiful wife and pop sensation, Lacus Clyne! That show has become the hottest ticket to have in the history of music and entertainment. Not since the Beatles invaded America has anything like this been seen in the entire world and the universe!"_

The radio announcer's voice could barely be heard as Miriallia stepped cautiously out of the shower in her hotel room and turned the knob to shut off the water. The droplets dripped off of her beautiful figure as she dried her brown hair with a warm, fluffy towel and glanced at herself in the mirror. Wrapping herself in a beautiful white robe, Miriallia walked gingerly out of the bathroom and sat on the edge of her makeshift bed and began brushing out the knots in her hair. As she did so, she thought about the few weeks she had spent on tour with the band and the sights she had witnessed. Thousands of fans packed into arenas all across Europe, cheering their heads off for the quintet of friends. She was backstage for all of their concerts, completely exhilarated and blown away at the spectacle of the group. Kira dancing around the stage as he belted notes and kept the beat with his red, white, and blue guitar. Yzak hammering out the heavy lead guitar solos on his gray, blue, and white guitar while Athrun provided the bass line with his bright red guitar. Nicol danced in place on the platform that supported his keyboard and Dearka's drumset. What captured Miriallia's imagination the most however, was Dearka, smashing away with his drumsticks and feet as he mashed the pedals and produced the magnetic tom-tom roll that was the focal point of their newest single and some of their classic songs. He never seemed to lose the cocky smile that was always plastered across his face, which made him seem almost god-like atop the platform. His blonde hair swayed as he moved and looked like rolling waves on a mass of blonde ocean. Sometimes, she was almost embarrassed to admit it, Miriallia found herself staring at the young drummer, completely at a loss for words at his motions and sound. Sometimes, Dearka would catch her staring at him and he would smile peacefully at her in between songs. Miriallia would blush bright red as she caught herself staring. As a journalist, she was supposed to be neutral about these sort of things, but she really couldn't help it. After all, Dearka was rather charming and he was funny so that helped him in some areas-.

"Hey, Mir, you in here?" The door opened quickly as Dearka pushed his head inside the gap and peered inside the room. His brown eyes widened instantly at the sight of her and he just as quickly retreated back behind the door. Miriallia shrieked as she pulled the edges of her open robe together to conceal herself. Dearka blushed bright crimson at what he'd just witnessed. _Damn it you moron, you saw her naked...wait, you saw her naked, what are you upset about!_ "Uh...I'm sorry, Mir," he managed to utter from behind the door.

"Don't worry," Miriallia gasped quietly. "It's okay." She took a deep breath and sat back down on the bed, making sure to tie the sash on her robe this time. "What do you want?"

"I...was just making sure that you were ready to go to the concert tonight..." Dearka stammered.

Miriallia quickly answered, "Give me a minute." She made her way over to the suitcase she had set up behind the edge of her bed and rummaged through it for something to change into. "I'll be right there," she called to him.

"We'll be downstairs waiting, okay," Dearka said. Then, cautiously, he asked, "You _are_ okay aren't you? I said I was sorry, so-."

"Don't worry about it," Miriallia assured him kindly. "I wouldn't expect nothing less from you as it is," she added humorously.

Dearka sighed. "Uh, should I take that as a compliment or a threat?" Miriallia couldn't help but laugh. Dearka did as well.

* * *

Later that night, at the concert venue on the northern side of Berlin, the crowd of almost fifty thousand was going insane as Lacus graced the stage with her stunning beauty. Kira, Athrun, Yzak, Dearka, Nicol, Miriallia, Mwu, and many others watched from backstage as the opening intro to Lacus' final song began playing. The roar of the crowd increased to a pulsating crescendo as the trumpet melody began to call out their graceful notes. They were soon joined by the drums, bass, and keyboard to form a remarkable blend of music that made everyone in the crowd start to dance like they were caught in a trance. Lacus began to sing in her sweet voice shortly thereafter. 

_Turn around and see you _

_In a crowded place,_

_I watch for the emotions_

_On a guarded face_

_Saying lead me on!_

_Victim of a dream_

_And a memory,_

_But when I try to break free_

_You say to me_

_C'mon and lead me on_

_A matter out of time_

_In the reaches of space,_

_Caught up in the patterns_

_In a light of a life,_

_Walk across the bridge_

_To the shadows of the night_

_Saying lead me on!_

_(Lead me on!)_

_Lead me on!_

_(On and on!)_

The girls in the audience began to scream insanely as the trumpet line began to blare again. Lacus twirled around the stage, her pink hair sailing in the breeze behind her. She seemed to actually _be_ the music to some people in the audience, which just added to her overall mystique. In the middle of her dance, Lacus motioned backstage to Kira for him to come on stage and join her. Kira was reluctant at first, but after a quick series of shoves from Athrun, threw himself onto the stage and was tossed a microphone so he could join in. "Who wants Kira to sing the next line?" Lacus asked the crowd. After a huge cheer, Kira sighed into the microphone and nodded his head.

Meanwhile, Miriallia stood next to Dearka and was completely lost in the beauty of the spectacle. "You like it?" Dearka asked her, playfully elbowing her in the side.

"Yes," Miriallia said happily to him as loudly as she could underneath the massive noise level of the song. "It makes you want to get up and dance seemingly just out of the blue."

"What, you wanna dance?" Dearka asked, out of the blue.

Miriallia stopped in her tracks and stared blankly at him with wide eyes. "What?" she said, smiling.

Dearka shrugged his shoulders. "Just a suggestion!"

Miriallia glanced back on stage where Kira was just now getting ready to belt out the next verse of the song. She turned back to Dearka and took his hands. "Just don't step on my toes!"

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Dearka shouted as he began to twirl her around. Kira's voice then sang the next series of words.

_Voices in the night_

_Chase the demons away!_

_Looking in the mirror_

_It's easy to say,_

_C'mon and lead me on!_

_The choices of a lifetime_

_In the dreams of a day,_

_When the coast is gettin' clearer_

_I hear you say,_

_Lead me on!_

_A matter out of time_

_In the look on your face,_

_Caught up in the patterns_

_In the light of a life,_

_Walk across the bridge_

_To the shadows of the night,_

_Saying lead me on!_

_(Lead me on!)_

_Lead me on!  
_

_(On and on!)_

_**Lead me on!**_

Kira and Lacus sang those words together, causing an uproar from the crowd, which was now bordering close to pure ecstasy. Athrun, Nicol, Mwu, and Yzak swayed and danced backstage to the music. Meanwhile, Dearka and Miriallia danced together behind them all and were lost in the motions and movements of the song. They nearly tripped over each others feet several times, partially because neither of them really knew how to dance in the first place, but they didn't let that spoil the moment. This was one of the most fun times they'd had in each of their respective lives and they didn't want to ruin it. Each of their gazes never left each others face as they swayed quickly to the song. Lacus and Kira now sang alternate portions of the last verse.

_Talk to me of lightning---I'll hear what you say, my love!_

_Reaching for the meaning all of the way, I can keep you believing in you and me, my love!_

_**Finding the answers that we need---**_

_**Sometimes it's meant to be!**_

_**Turn around to see you**_

_**In a crowded place,**_

_**I watch for the emotions**_

_**As they cross your face,**_

_**Saying lead me on!**_

_**I see you in a dream**_

_**And a memory**_

_**A captive of the light**_

_**You say to me**_

_**Lead me on!**_

As their respective voices interplayed in the lyrics, Kira and Lacus managed to share a quick kiss before they went on singing, moving the crowd to unprecedented points of joy and ecstasy. Through the entire region the sound of music echoed, sending everyone into a frenzy. Everyone at the concert witnessed something they would never again. Total harmony and compete innocence. It was a pure sight to behold. Leaving the concert that night, only one phrase was uttered by every single person. Lead me on!

**AN: Lead me On** is a song by Teena Marie. I don't own her or the rights to the song.

On a lighter note, I apologize for the unspeakable delay in updating. I have been extremely busy with school and work, so I apologize. I also hope you enjoyed this chapter. Once again, please R&R!


	8. London Nights

"Flight control this is British Airways Flight 2804 from Berlin to London requesting permission to land." The voice of the airplane pilot was calm as he expertly guided the large passenger jet over the clear blue skies that hovered above London's Heathrow International Airport, located just to the west of downtown London, England.

"Permission granted to land on runway B29," came the smooth reply from the air traffic controller, normally the busiest man at the airport, but not on this day. "Advise use of caution when landing for there is a chaotic amount of people standing on the adjacent runways, so use caution when landing. Advise."

"Roger control. We'll began our landing at once. Over and out."

The air traffic controller watched as the large aircraft banked slowly on its starboard wing, patrolling the western edge of the airport before heading straight towards the farthest landing runway on the airport. The controller looked away from the airplane for a moment and looked down from his perch high above to see the humongous crowd of onlookers and fans waiting to greet the plane's passengers. "They must have every policeman in London here," one of his co-workers breathed beside him.

"Everyone in Scotland Yard that's not on a case is here," the controller confirmed. "It's the only way they'll be able to maintain order when those boys get off the damned plane. Otherwise they'd be torn to pieces by those bloody women. Nobody's seen anything like it since the Beatles went to America."

The airplane deployed its landing gears and touched down with a squealing of rubber against pavement. After maneuvering several times to adjacent runways, the plane was forced to stop a good fifty yards away from the main terminal due to the fact that there was at least two thousand onlookers waiting for its passengers to disembark. From inside the plane, Kira, Athrun, Yzak, Nicol, and Dearka watched the growing madness outside. "Are you sure you boys are going to want to go outside in all that?" the pilot asked.

"We've really got no other choice in the matter," Kira reminded him. "They've been waiting for us, so we've got to keep up our end of the bargain."

With bodyguards surrounding them on all sides, the five members of _Iron Fist_ journeyed into the sunlit morning and the very instant they stepped out of the plane, the crowd literally went crazy. Women reached out their hands for just an opportunity to touch just one of them as they passed by, but the large amount of police officers blocked there way. The band waved and smiled at the crowd as they made their slow trek towards the terminal. This was not unusual for them. They usually had this orientation wherever they went nowadays.

* * *

London's Crowne Plaza Hotel at Heathrow is a tall, white building that faces both the large airport and majestic London skyline. A grand place for tourists, this was the housing location for the band during their two week tour in England, Ireland, and other areas in Great Britain. After the short ride from the airport, the band had settled into their respective suites before gathering in one certified suite to discuss their plans for their time here. 

Mwu spoke first. "You guys feeling alright? After the plane ride and all?"

"Aren't we always?" Yzak asked.

"Yeah, bad question," Mwu admitted. "Okay, just to let you guys know now...I know I'm gonna forget later...but I talked to the guys that are running the Live Aid thing this year, you know for African assistance...they want you guys to perform at the London concert this year."

"Aw right!" Kira said, pumping his fist. "Finally, we've always wanted to do that!"

"When is it?" Athrun asked.

"Next Tuesday, so you'll have about a week to prepare for it," Mwu said. "I didn't say yes because you guys have gigs two days before that and I didn't know if you'd want to or not."

"Are you kidding, of course we'll do it," Kira reminded him. "This thing is supposed to be the biggest concert in history. How can we _not_ play there when we've got the chance."

"Not to mention how bad we'd look if we said no," Nicol put in.

They discussed their respective plans for the rest of the day before Kira, Athrun, Nicol, and Mwu went off to scout the local concert hall where the band would be performing the night after. Yzak went off on his own to a charity gathering he had volunteered for prior to arriving in London. While they each talked amongst themselves, Miriallia sat quietly off to the side, occasionally jotting down something in her notebook for her magazine, but mostly just staring out the nearest window at the beautiful London skyline just a few miles away. She stayed that way even after the other members of the band left the suite.

"Beautiful view, isn't it?" Miriallia slowly turned her head to take in Dearka's grinning face, which was also transfixed on the view outside the window.

"Yes, it's stunning," she answered. "I'm sure you've seen it many times before, Dearka."

"Only twice. We came here for _Love Bites_ and then again for _Stand Up!_. Each time we've only been here for about a week, so we really don't get to do much in our spare time. Luckily this year we're here for two weeks." Dearka added, "By the way, you've never been to London before have you?"

Miriallia shook her head. "Never been assigned anywhere outside of Orb before. This is my first time seeing all of these places."

An idea came to Dearka's head. "You wanna go see the sights?" Miriallia glanced at him and he pushed on. "I mean...if you're not doing anything right now...plus I kinda figured that you'd want to take advantage of the opportunity to see these great cities while your covering us, so...look if you don't want to." Miriallia giggled. "What's so-?"

"Nothing," Miriallia stopped. "Just how you always find it hard to talk to me when we're alone."

"Uh..." Dearka stammered. "Does that mean?"

"I'd love to, Dearka. But aren't you worried that someone will spot you and blow your cover?"

"Don't worry I've got it covered." Dearka went back to his room to get something and he emerged with two pairs of sunglasses. He handed Miriallia ones with red-tinted lenses and he gave himself green-tinted ones to disguise themselves. "Never thought you'd be wearing a disguise in public before, did you?"

"No," Miriallia answered happily, slipping her arm through his. "Now lead on, Mr. Elsman."

"My pleasure, Ms. Haw."

For the rest of that afternoon and into the early evening, Dearka led her through the streets and sights of London. First stop was Buckingham Palace, the beautiful, eye-opening structure that housed the royal family including the Queen herself. For a few laughs, Dearka even posed with one of the royal guards with the large beaver furred hat on his head. Dearka attempted to stand perfectly still just as the man did, but could only do it for about ten minutes, Miriallia taking the occasional photo of him every once in a while. Miriallia was laughing when he came beside her. "Gotta give it to these guys, they deserve a medal for just being able to stand still for _that_ long."

Next he took her to Big Ben, the marvelous clock tower that is in all the movies featuring London. The clock struck four o'clock in the afternoon when they arrived and they stared dumbfounded at the notorious building in wonder.

Piccadilly Circus was the next stop. Both of them were laughing when the show started and they both were highly entertained by arguably the most famous circus show in the world, with the exception of Ringling Brothers of course.

After the show, they once again ventured into the streets of London, their sunglasses donned so not to be recognized. "You know what surprises me about you, Miriallia?" Dearka said.

"What?"

"That you're a great journalist...and yet you've never been away from Orb in your entire career." Dearka smiled at her. "I'm surprised they don't send you to these places all the time."

"I wish they would," Miriallia admitted. "But I take what I get. I have been to Paris though once before."

"When was that?"

"On my honeymoon," she said under her breath. She could barely make out Dearka's mouth drop to the pavement.

"Wait, _you're married_?" he asked suspiciously. "You never told us-."

"I _was_ married," Miriallia corrected. Her gaze turned away from his face and her deep blue eyes stared out into nothing for some time. "My husband and I went to Paris on our honeymoon four years ago. That was the only time we left Orb."

"What happened?" Dearka asked. He instantly regretted it.

Miriallia's head dropped slightly and she muttered, "He left me..." Dearka leant down closer to her and she added, "He left for another woman two years ago...without so much as a goodbye..."

Dearka noticed a small trickle of a tear beginning to cascade down her face and it felt as if he got kicked in the stomach. He cursed himself for even bringing it up. "Miriallia..." Her blue eyes, now enshrouded in mist, met his. "I'm sorry..." he apologized vigorously.

Surprisingly, she managed a smile. "It's okay," she whispered. "You didn't know. I don't blame you for wanting to find out more about me. I've been so quiet when it comes to my own life and I've inquired so much about yours..."

"It's not your fault Miriallia," Dearka reminded her. "Just because your husband turned into a two-timing back-stabber doesn't mean that you have to feel sorry for yourself. You did nothing to cause him to leave you. Plus...there are others out there that care a lot about you Miriallia." Miriallia's smile disappeared for a moment, but then it reappeared, brighter than ever.

About an hour later, the duo arrived at a local restaurant that Dearka had recommended as a good spot to enjoy a good meal. Before they could enter the door however, someone conveniently blew their cover. "Hey, is that Dearka?" came an excited voice a few feet away. Instinctively, Dearka turned his head to the spot where his name had been called. "It is Dearka!"

Dearka's head dropped immediately. "Man, we're busted," he muttered under his breath. Before he knew what was happening, he found Miriallia and himself surrounded by denizens of fans, screaming his name and begging for an autograph. "Damn, I'm sorry Miriallia. Let's go."

"No, you stay," she said quietly. Dearka looked at her with a shocked expression. "It's better if you stay here, Dearka. This may be their only chance to ever see you. You should complete their dream."

"Uh...okay. Are you okay with it?"

"I'll head back to the hotel now," Miriallia told him, beginning to weave her way through the strangling crowd. "Dearka! Thank you!"

Dearka managed to wave slowly and quickly to her before he lost sight of her. But he continued to stare at the area she had just vacated in the mass of people and inside, his stomach was turning at just the thought of having to let her go at this time. A short distance away, her back turned, Miriallia found it hard to not let a tear slip from her sad eyes.

* * *

In another part of London, Yzak was in a fight for his life. "Yzak! Yzak! Yzak!" The cries of the trailing mob were growing louder by the instant as his feet pounded the pavement beneath him. After the charity event, Yzak had been swarmed by hundreds of onlookers who were now giving chase. The paparazzi here was just as bad as they were everywhere else. Yzak desperately scanned the area for someplace to hide. To catch his breath at least without being torn to shreds by fans. 

"Yzak!" came an accented voice from his right. Before Yzak could respond, he found himself being pulled inside a cramped doorway on the side of the road. He watched through the small window as the rush of fans poured through the streets in the direction he had been running. It took about five minutes, but soon the street was bare again. Yzak managed to get at least a quick deep breath in the cramped space.

"Thanks," he gasped, regaining his breath. "I owe you one..." His voice trailed off when he saw her. She was standing just behind him in the doorway, in a full policewoman's uniform with gloves and hat. Her brown hair fell to her shoulders and her face was very beautiful. She smiled at him. _My God,_ Yzak thought. _She's beautiful...and her teeth are _white "Uh...who are you...?"

"Officer Shiho Hahnenfuss, Scotland Yard," she said, extending her hand. Yzak shook it as best he could.

"How'd you find me?"

"I've been following you the entire day. Just to make sure you're safe that is."

"Thank you," Yzak whispered. "Where am I?"

"Dillon's Pub," Shiho said quickly, turning her back to him and walking further into the building. "Best place for a drink this side of London." She turned her head to glance back at Yzak, who hadn't so much as moved. "Well do you want a drink or not?"

"Uh...sure!" Yzak managed, following the most beautiful woman he had ever seen into the pub.

"And Yzak..."

"Huh?"

"Please stop staring at my butt!" Shiho said to the side. Yzak stiffened, but eventually followed her.

**AN: **That last part is for all the reviewers who wanted to have Yzak hook up with someone. Someone recommended Shiho, so I just put her in. Thanks for your patience.


	9. Rock the World

The mammoth audience of over two hundred thousand was going practically and figuratively insane as the lead guitarist with the short black hair and burning red eyes belted out the last notes from his solo. Supporting him on rhythm guitar was a short individual with orange hair standing almost completely immobile as he played. On bass was the sole female of the group, with short pink hair and a beautiful smile, she played almost as gracefully as a lead guitarist, but with the deep, booming sound of the only the elite bass player. On drums was a dark skinned individual with long black hair and a dashing smile. Off to the side, his fingers dancing across the keyboard was a man with long blonde hair and blue eyes. But the individual in the group known as Next Generation was the one with the microphone in his hand. Long, reddish-blonde hair covered most of his face and he wasn't very tall in stature. But he more than made up for that in the eyes of the people in the crowd when he opened his mouth and bellowed the final chorus in his sweet, crisp voice, supported by the girl and the keyboardist.

_I'll take the, _

_(long nights, impossible hours!)_

_Keeping my eye in the keyhole! If it takes, _

_(All that, be just what I am!)_

_Well I'm bound to be a blue collar,_

_Gotta be a blue collar,_

_Gonna be a Blue Collar Man!_

The three guitarists picked the pace back up after the last note had been uttered and guided the magnificent finale into its final stage. At the end, everyone in the band who played an instrument raged, or played anything that came to their mind for about five seconds, before one last _bang!_ from the drummer keyed the end of the set. The crowd cheered and clapped their hands as the group made their exit, waving and bowing to the crowd as they did so.

As they exited, the stage darkened for a good ten minutes while the next act set up. This would be the final act of the evening, of the entire Live Aid worldwide concert that had taken place in over ten cities across the world. London would be the final venue, the final concert on a day when many of the world's great musicians had come together to play and raise awareness for the growing poverty of the world. Like its predecessors, this event had raised unbelievable amounts of money for poverty stricken people around the globe. But no one could have foreseen the impact of what the finale would do for the cause.

Before they could even storm onto the stage, the crowd all across the world was chanting in one great voice, "_I-ron Fist! I-ron Fist! I-ron Fist!"_ Suddenly, with the darkness of the late evening encompassing the stage and the landscape of London's central road, just half a mile from Buckingham Palace, it happened. On a large monitor hanging above and behind the stage, a lone number appeared. It read, 10. Slowly, the numbers began getting smaller and smaller. 9...8...7...6... In the background, echoing through the massive speaker systems that covered the stage, a raspy, artificial voice began saying the numbers in sequence with the board. The crowd's energy increased as the numbers slowly ticked down. "5...4...3...2...1...0...Houston we are go for take-off..."

_BOOM!_ With a bone jarring roar, a simulated rocket launch occurred over the loud speakers, blasting the crowd with all its mighty force. Many in the crowd began to scream as the sound died away. For many, they had seen this before, at the concerts in England in the previous days. They all knew what would come next...

_bluun...ka-du-ka-da-ka-du-ka-da-ka-du-ka! bluun...ka-du-ka-da-ka-du-ka-da-ka-du-ka! _The tom-tom's roll was the breaking point. The people in the crowd saw the dim spotlight light up the back of the stage and the drum-set, where the individual with blonde hair rolled over the tom-tom with his drumsticks. To his right, the green haired man on the keyboard raced his hands across the keys.

Five seconds later, this was joined by the beautiful, harmonic sound of the silver-haired individual's lead guitar, singing out to the audience in a flurry of notes and rhythms. The spotlight expanded to include the blue haired individual, sunglasses covering his eyes, holding the red bass guitar, who thumped out his booming sound seemingly without a care in the world. But the one thing the spotlight didn't light up was the individual in the center of it all. Rising up out of the ground, head-set microphone attached to his ears, red, white, and blue guitar grasped firmly in his hands, Kira Yamato stood with his head pointed down towards the ground. The crowd was cheering like mad as Yzak finished his intro solo and began to slowly make his way up towards the standing microphone on the right half of the semicircular stage while Athrun did the same slow movement towards his on the left half. The moment had come. The rocket had launched!

(_Aaahh! Aaahh!)_

_(Ooohh! Oohh!)_

_(Aaahh! Aaahh!)_

_(Ooohh! Ooohh!)_

Kira emerged from the shadows as Yzak and Athrun called out the final _ooohh!_, a smile on his face as he electrified the crowd with his voice singing the opening words.

_White lights! Straight city! Mad music!_

_(All around!)_

_Midnight! Street magic! Crazy people!_

_(Crazy sounds!)_

_(Aaahh! Aaahh!)_

_(Ooohh! Ooohh!)_

_Jack Flash, rocket man!_

_Sergeant Pepper and the band!_

_Ziggy, Benny and the Jets_

_Take a rocket! We just gotta fly!_

Yzak went on his own path with the guitar line, soaring above Kira who hammered out the rhythm line below him. Athrun, even further below on the bass, bellowed out like a roaring grizzly bear. Nicol ran his fingers back and forth across the keyboard and Dearka continued to roll on the tom-tom while smashing out a bass and snare drum strike every once in a while. This was all coordinated, designed to make the upcoming chorus line sound even better.

_(I can take you thru the center of the dark!) We're gonna fly!_

_(On a collision course to crash into my heart!)_

_I will be your, I will be your, I'll be your,_

_**Rocket! Yeah! Satellite of love!**_

_**Rocket! Yeah! Satellite of love!**_

_**Rocket! Yeah! Satellite of love!**_

_Rocket baby! Come on! I'll be your satellite of love!_

_  
(Ooohh! Ooohh!)_

_(Aaahh! Aaaahh!)_

_(Ooohh! Ooohh!)_

_(Aaahh! Aaahh!)_

At this point the crowd danced and swayed to Kira's movements as he pranced all across the stage, guitar in hand, a smile on his face, while Athrun and Yzak once again screamed out at the crowd in their plush, seemingly dangerous voices. The fans sang with Kira as he belted out the next verse.

_Jet Black! Johnny B!_

_Gene Jenie! Killer Queen!_

_Dizzy, Lizzy, Major Tom!_

_So c'mon! We've just gotta fly!_

_(I can take you thru the center of the dark!) We're gonna fly!_

_(On a collision course to crash into my heart!)_

_I will be your, I will be your, I'll be your,_

_**Rocket! Yeah! Satellite of love!**_

_**Rocket! Yeah! Satellite of love!**_

_**Rocket! Yeah! Satellite of love!**_

_Rocket baby! C'mon! We're gonna fly!_

In a flash, the guitars, bass, and keyboard all dropped out, leaving only the steady tom-tom roll to carry the song through the first part of the solo section. Athrun and Yzak hummed out another _"Satellite of love!"_ while Dearka played and Kira pranced across the stage, interacting with the members of the crowd closest to the stage. Then, magic hands connecting with the guitar strings once again, Kira hit two quick notes, paused, then struck five more quick ones, bringing Yzak and Athrun back into the fray, Yzak starting his solo in which he came to the front of the stage and stomped his foot while he and his white, blue, and gray guitar worked their magic. Yzak quickly moved back to the right side of the stage, behind his microphone when Kira brought the vocals back in.

_We just gotta fly!_

_(I can take you thru the center of the dark!) We're gonna fly!_

_(On a collision course to crash into my heart!)_

_I will be your, I will be your, I'll be your,_

_**Rocket! Yeah! Satellite of love!**_

_**Rocket! Yeah! Satellite of love!**_

_**Rocket! Yeah! Satellite of love!**_

_Guitar! Drums! Ladies!_

Every single woman and girl in the crowd screamed at the top of their lungs. The band paused for a few seconds before Kira made a throwing motion with his right arm, bringing Dearka, Nicol, and Athrun back into it with an up and down, staircase series of notes that brought the entire song to a head.

_We're gonna fly!_

_**Rocket! Yeah! Satellite of love!** We're gonna fly!_

_**Rocket! Yeah! Satellite of love!** _

_Rocket! Yeah!_

With that, the song was done. In its place came the roar of the crowd at every concert venue across the globe and the space beyond. From Philadelphia to Berlin, from Toronto to Tokyo, everyone cheered and applauded the most successful band in history. "Whoo!" Kira screamed to the crowd, trying to catch his breath after that heart-stopping opener. Yzak and Athrun retreated back towards Dearka's riser where they each had drinks waiting for them after each song while Kira talked to the crowd for about thirty seconds. "_Heeellllloooo, London_!" This brought more cheers from the crowd. "_HEEEELLLLLLLLLOOOO WORLD!"_ Kira laughed a bit to himself as he tried to get his voice back. "What do you say, are we gonna make poverty history tonight?" The crowd cheered enthusiastically. "_I can't hear you!"_ An even louder round of applause erupted. "That's more like it! Whoo! Alright...now...we gonna do another song for you all...it's a little song called, _Photograph,_ you know this one? Alright!" Behind him, Dearka pounded out four quick strikes on the high-hat symbol. Instantly, Yzak touched his guitar strings and thrummed out the opening riff to the song. Dearka followed during the next riff with four slow smashes on the bass drum. Soon, the entire band had joined in the song, paving the way for the opening vocals sung by Kira.

_I'm outta luck! Outta love!_

_Gotta photograph, picture of_

_Passion killer, you're too much_

_You're the only one, I wanna touch!_

Kira added to the mix with his own guitar and in sync with Athrun banged out a three note riff that introduced the next line.

_I see your face every time I dream!_

_On every page, every magazine!_

_So wild and free, so far from me!_

_You're all I want, the fantasy!_

The chorus section was introduced by Yzak who played four quick, heavy notes on the lead guitar, leading into Nicol's part with a constant singing from the keyboard that echoed majestically across the stage.

_(Ohh!) Look what you've done to this rock and roll clown!_

_(Ohh!) Look what you've done!_

_**Photograph!** I don't want your,_

_**Photograph!** I don't need your,_

_**Photograph!** All I've got is a photograph!_

_**Photograph!** But it's not enough!_

Many in the crowd danced and mimicked Yzak's guitar playing as he repeated the intro at the beginning, introducing the second verse. Kira had a big smile on his face as he sang.

_I'd be your lover, if you were there,_

_Put your hurt on me, if you dare!_

_Such a woman, you've got style,_

_You make every man, feel like a child, Oh!_

_You've got some kinda hold on me!_

_You're all wrapped up in mystery!_

_So wild and free, so far from me!_

_You're all I want, the fantasy!_

_(Ohh!) Look what you've done to this rock and roll clown!_

_(Ohh!) Look what you've done! I gotta have you,_

_**Photograph!** I don't' want your,_

_**Photograph!** I don't need your,_

_**Photograph!** All I've got is a,_

_**Photograph!** You've gone straight to my head!_

As he held the note out, Kira hammered out a swift riff with his rhythm guitar, leading the way for Yzak to plow through the opening with his now infamous guitar solo from the band's first album. It was an uplifting section of notes, crescendos, decrescendos, and practically anything you can play on a guitar. It was just that good. Yzak danced around the stage as he played, coming close to the crowd who reached out with glutinous hands to get just a touch of him or Kira, who joined him on the opposite end of the stage before Yzak retreated back to his microphone for the last chorus.

_(Ohh!) Look what you've done to this rock and roll clown!_

_(Ohh!) Look what you've done! I gotta have you,_

_**Photograph! **I don't want your,_

_**Photograph!** I don't need your,_

_**Photograph!** All I've got is a,_

_**Photograph! **I wanna touch you! Oooohhhhhhh!_

_(Photograph!)_

_(Photograph!) Your photograph!_

_(Photograph!)_

_(Photograph!) I need more than your,_

_**Photograph!** I wanna know!_

_**Photograph! **I wanna know!_

_**Photograph!** Oh I wanna know!_

_**Photograph!** I wanna touch!_

As Kira held out the final note, Athrun and Yzak played a continuos riff that brought the song to a climax, ending when Dearka joined them in one last _boom!_ The crowd erupted in another great roar of applause for the group before Kira could catch his breath and give the others a break. "Ladies and gentlemen..." he gasped. "We'd all like to thank you for coming here tonight...and supporting Live Aid with your generous donations...we'd also like to thank everyone around the world and beyond who contributed to all this...because without you...millions of people will go to bed hungry tonight...that's what we were hear to do...that's what we're gonna do...that's what we've done!" All around the world people cheered as one. Naturals and Coordinators united in this one great cause. "Alright, heh...now to send you all home...we're gonna do a song for you, heh! It's one of the band's favorites to perform in front of a live crowd. You know a song called Animal?" The crowd cheered. "Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about! Hit it Yzak!"

Just as soon as Kira stopped speaking, Yzak roared out the opening riff to the song with a great flare. Kira and Athrun joined him on their guitars, Kira coming beside Yzak to get fully into the sound. Dearka and Nicol joined in with the rhythm section and the race was on.

_A wild ride, over stony ground_

_Such a lust for life, the circus comes to town._

_We are the hungry ones, on a lightning raid._

_Just like a river runs, like a fire needs flame, oh!_

_I burn for you!_

_**I gotta feel it in my blood! Whoa!**_

_**  
I need your touch don't need your love! Whoa!**_

_**And I want! And I need!**_

_**And I lust! Animal!**_

_**And I want! And I need!**_

_**And I lust! Animal!**_

_I cry wolf, given mouth to mouth,_

_Like a movin' heartbeat in the witching hour,_

_I'm runnin' with the wind, a shadow in the dust._

_And like the drivin' rain! Yeah!_

_Like the restless rust! I never sleep!_

_**I gotta feel it in my blood! Whoa!**_

_**I need your touch don't need your love! Whoa!**_

_**And I want! And I need!**_

_**And I lust! Animal!  
**_

_**And I want! And I need!**_

_**And I lust! Animal! **Huh!_

With that, Yzak began his final solo of the great night, running up and down the strings in a flurry of graceful and sympathetic notes, it was a masterpiece to those who heard it. It brought the song into its final run which was the final great moment of the great night for a great world.

_**I gotta feel it in my blood! Whoa!**_

_**I need your touch don't need your love! Whoa!**_

_**And I want! And I need!**_

_**And I lust! Animal!**_

_**And I want! And I need!**_

_**And I lust! Animal!**_

_**And I want! **And I want! **And I need!** And I need!_

_**And I lust! **And I lust!** Animal!** Animal!_

_(And I want!) Take me! (And I need!) Tame me!_

_(And I lust!) Make me your... (Animal!) Animal!_

_(And I want!) Show me! (And I need!) Stroke me!_

_(And I lust!) Let me be your... (Animal!) Animal!_

With an abrupt stop, the song seemed to end the crowd began to applaud. But suddenly, that all changed.

_(And I want!) I want! (And I need!) Ooh!_

_(And I lust!) Yeah animal! (Animal!) Take on! Heh heh!_

With that, the concert was over and the crowd around the world sang out in one thunderous applause as _Iron Fist_ took their final bows and exited the stage of the greatest concert the world has ever known.

**AN: Rocket, Photograph, **and **Animal** are songs by Def Leppard. I do not own Def Leppard or the rights to any of their songs. **Blue Collar Man** is a song by Styx. I do not own Styx or the rights to their songs.


	10. Aftermath

The enormous crowd could still be heard as _Iron Fist_ made their exit from the stage, sweat covering their bodies, the guitars, and everything virtually they had set their hands on during the show. Each one of them exchanged a hug with one another, including Mwu and Miriallia who waited backstage for them. Retreating to their dressing room, they shared a six-pack and calmed themselves down after the ruckus show. They each knew that tomorrow they would be leaving England for America, land of the free and home of the brave. The most famous location for rock groups in the world. It would be four months in America and Canada before they would finally be able to go home to Orb after the tour was finished.

"You guys sounded great out there!" Mwu beamed backstage while the others enjoyed their drinks.

"Don't we always?" Yzak asked casually.

"No, I mean tonight you were awesome! Those big crowds really do bring out the best in you guys," Mwu said.

"What can we say?" Kira put in. "The big crowds have a lot of energy and we feed off of it."

"It's been like that since we started out," Dearka added. "Feel free to put that in your story by the way, Mir."

"Don't worry I will," Miriallia said kindly.

"You still gonna be with us when we hit America?" Athrun asked.

"You bet. I wouldn't leave you guys now before I saw the almighty, USA." That brought a laugh to each one and before long they had each gone their separate ways to finish their business in England before they left tomorrow.

* * *

It was hours later, after the huge crowd had virtually all but disintegrated that Yzak cautiously crept from the backstage area towards his car in the make-shift parking lot about five blocks from the stage. He held his guitar case in his right hand and it swung back and forth in motion with him as he walked. A small drizzle of rain had begun to fall from the now overcast sky, but you couldn't really see it because it was the dead of night. Most of the others in the band had already left to go back to the hotel. Yzak was really the only one left at the venue. Sleepy bags dotted the skin beneath his eyes, signifying how tired Yzak was at this point, but given the circumstances who could blame him?

As Yzak rounded a corner heading towards his car, he saw someone he hadn't expected to see. The brown haired policewoman that had saved him from the mob the week before, who had also introduced him to the extravagance of English brewed beer at Dillon's. Shiho too was astounded to see Yzak round the corner and head straight towards her position directing the remaining cars out of the parking lot where Yzak's car was. With widened eyes, Shiho frantically motioned for him to duck behind the corner so that the people coming out of the parking lot wouldn't recognize him. Not wanting to suffer the consequences of another hysterical mob chasing after him, Yzak wisely ducked back behind the corner and waited. He donned a pair of dark sunglasses in order to make himself look even more anonymous and stood his guitar case on its bottom so he could hide it behind his body. After about five minutes Yzak heard her whisper his name and say that it was okay for him to come out. Yzak stuck his head around the corner and saw no one but Shiho. He slowly slunk his way around the corner and said, "Thanks."

"No problem," she whispered back quickly. "Why didn't you leave yet?"

"I drove myself," Yzak responded.

"_Why?_" Shiho sounded more annoyed than curious.

"Because I like driving myself every once in a while," Yzak retorted. "It's not every day you the chance to be behind the wheel of a brand new Aston Martin, but besides that."

Shiho sighed. "Okay I can understand that. I'm sorry."

"Forget it. Can you get me to my car without a mob seeing me?"

"Follow me." Taking the quickest way possible, Shiho led Yzak across the road, using her status as a police officer to stop traffic and allow the rock star to pass. Fortunately enough for them, it was dark enough outside that no one seemed to recognize Yzak as he crossed the road with just a scarce amount of cars on it at this time of night.

"I didn't know you'd be at the show," Yzak huffed as he kept pace with Shiho.

"You never asked," she reminded him, ducking between two parked cars in the parking lot. "Everyone British law enforcement officer that was available was assigned here. Scotland Yard was no exception. I had crowd control for most of the day. They asked me to stay late to help with the traffic outflow and I agreed."

"Huh..." Yzak mumbled.

"Don't give me that crap, Yzak," Shiho said sternly. "I wasn't waiting for you."

"Why the hell would I want you too?" Yzak responded harshly.

"Fine!" Shiho finished. They said nothing else as they reached Yzak's silver rental Aston Martin. Yzak popped the truck and loaded his guitar case. "Everything set?" Shiho asked, her voice dropping below frustration once again.

"Yeah. Listen...I'm sorry about that...I didn't mean anything by it. Its-."

"-Just how you are," Shiho finished, much to Yzak's annoyance. "I've heard about your theory on women in the news, Yzak. That you think love's worthless in this world of yours. That's the inspiration for your song, _Love Bites_."

"How do you know that?"

"I read that journalist's article. The one that's traveling with you."

"Oh." Yzak shook his head. "Listen, it's nothing personal okay. It's just that...uh...I've had some bad experiences with women in the past, okay. Some...bad stuff's happened..."

"It's okay," Shiho said quietly. "Don't worry about it. Well...I'd better be going..."

"How far's your place?" Yzak asked casually.

Shiho turned back towards him and said quietly, "Only about a mile from here."

"Hop in, I'll give you a ride. It's the least I could do after everything you've done for me these past weeks." Yzak hopped into the right front seat behind the steering wheel and slammed the door. Shiho remained outside for a few seconds, but Yzak's, "Are you coming or not?" finally got her into the passenger seat beside him. "Where's your place?" Yzak asked, after starting the car's motor and pulling into the main flow of traffic.

"An apartment just north of Camden Town," Shiho said simply, not even bothering to look Yzak in the face. "Just drop me off at the front."

"Whatever you say," Yzak answered. The roads were empty at this time. Yzak glanced at the car's clock and it read 11:30 p.m. _Damn, I gotta get some sleep..._ he thought to himself as he made a right hand turn across traffic onto the next road. He and Shiho said very little to one another as they made their way slowly towards her apartment. "So...what'd you think?"

"About what?" she asked softly.

"About the show," Yzak reminded her.

"It was good..." Her voice trailed off. "But..."

"What?"

"You really need to work on your dancing." Yzak groaned heavily and slumped in the driver's seat.

Yzak had attuned himself to driving on the opposite side of the road very well during his time in England. He navigated the seemingly backwards roads like he'd been driving them all his life. He sped through the empty streets often, sometimes bracing himself for a chide from the policewoman next to him, but none came, much to his surprise. Shiho actually seemed to be enjoying how fast he was going. She even turned up the radio in the car so that the local radio station was sounding loudly in the late night atmosphere.

Passing the bars and taverns of Camden Town, they came to Shiho's apartment at about 11:45. Yzak parked next to the curb in front of her place and turned off the engine. The two sat in silence for several minutes, not bothering to say anything. There really wasn't much to talk about.

"Well..." Shiho managed to blurt out.

"Yeah..." Yzak murmured. "I guess this is goodbye." His voice had a sort of sadness in it that he hid from her. Believe it or not, Yzak _was_ a little sad that he was having to leave England and Shiho altogether. Not that there was anything between them. He just really didn't want to leave this soon.

"Yeah..." Shiho whispered. For the first time during the ride, Shiho actually turned to face Yzak. Yzak tilted his head slightly towards her, not bothering to turn his eyes towards her. He was quite surprised when he felt Shiho lean across the seat and say, "Thank you Yzak." She planted a soft, wet kiss on his cheek and was out of the car before he had the chance to realize what had happened. His eyes were widened with shock and his mouth had gone aghast ever so slightly. Without even thinking, Yzak bolted from the car and stumbled onto the curb.

Shiho was already up the steps towards the door to her apartment when Yzak finally caught up with her, grabbing her by the arm and turning her around sharply to face him. "Wait. What the hell was _that_ for?"

"I don't know what you're talking about?" Shiho said.

Now Yzak was mad. "You just _kissed_ me!" he shouted, not nearly enough to wake the neighborhood, but enough so that it produced an echo down the street. "What was that for?" Yzak demanded.

Now it was Shiho's turn to be angry. "Oh, you want to know. Okay! I just thought it was customary whenever someone drives you home you were supposed to thank them in your own way! But if that's not how you think it should be done-!"

"Well, let's just say that I'm not accustomed to having someone kiss me whenever I just do something to pay them back for saving my ass the week before!" Yzak roared. "You could have warned me a little beforehand stupid!"

What came next was the sharp crack of Shiho's right hand slapping Yzak across his face, knocking him backwards. Yzak stumbled onto the step below where he had been standing and his hand came to his cheek. Anger flourished in his eyes as he turned back to face Shiho, but to his surprise her head was tilted down towards the ground and her eyes were closed. She looked...sad. Yzak held his reddening cheek and took a deep breath, letting the anger seep out of his system. Finally, he said, "Okay...I probably deserved that." Shiho still didn't look up at him. Yzak went up a step and stood beside her just in front of the door and added, "Look...I'm sorry..."

"I know..." she whispered.

"You had a right to slap me. I didn't mean to call you stupid." Shiho nodded. "Will you at least look at me when I talk to you?" Yzak asked, as kindly as he could. Slowly Shiho turned her head to face him and Yzak saw the pained expression on her face. Now he felt even worse. "Look...it's nothing personal Shiho...it's just..."

"It's my fault."

"Huh?"

"The reason..." Shiho began. "...I kissed you because I was worried I wouldn't see you again, Yzak. You've been...a great friend to me these past two weeks..."

"Same here," he said quietly.

"I just was...worried I'd let you go without showing you how grateful I am for what you've done, Yzak Joule." Shiho glanced up at him and added, "I'm sorry."

Yzak closed his eyes. "I'm just as sad to see you go too, Shiho Hastenflauss." He gently took her by the chin and brought her eyes to meet his. "But you know...we don't have to be apart...we can always...meet again..."

"You're leaving tomorrow though," Shiho reminded him. "Will you...write me from America...?"

"Of course," Yzak said quietly. Slowly, he took her into his arms and embraced her to the best of his ability. Shiho returned it as best she could, but both of them found this position to be very awkward to themselves inside. "I'll miss you."

"I'll be waiting for you when you get back," she said, her voice just a hushed whisper in his ear. Minutes later, Yzak was back in his Aston Martin driving back towards the hotel thinking to himself, _What have I just gotten myself into...?

* * *

_

"Both amps get loaded?" Mwu asked from the base of the truck, the rain beginning to soak his clothes through.

"Yeah!" the worker said, his voice strained from inside the truck. "We've just got the rest of the lights to go before we can get the hell out of here."

"Hurry up," Mwu told him, moving away from the truck. It was then that his cell-phone began to ring. He glanced back at the crew and added, "Just get the rest of it loaded and head for Heathrow!"

"Yes, sir!" Mwu moved under the cover of a small canopy that hadn't been taken down yet and took out his phone.

"Hello?" he said against the backdrop of the lightly falling rain.

"Hello, Mwu," came the pleasant voice from the other end.

Mwu's blue eyes widened with shock as stuttered into the phone, "M-Murrue!"

"Surprised?" her voice asked him. Mwu hadn't seen her in almost three months since he'd been on tour with the band.

"Yeah. I didn't expect you to call me, that's all. I mean it's almost midnight out here."

"But you forget, it's noon in Orb. You didn't think about not answering, did you?"

"Not a chance," Mwu answered, smiling. "I'd talk to you for anything, my love."

"Shh..." he heard Murrue whisper on the other end. "There's someone else who wants to talk with you, honey."

Mwu waited. "Hi daddy!" His face lit up at the sound of the girl's voice.

"Hi sweetie!" he beamed into the phone. "How are you?"

"Fine!" came the voice on the other end. "Jenny's okay too!"

"You've been taking good care of your little sister, haven't you?" Mwu asked his oldest daughter.

"Yes I have," she said proudly. "What are you doing daddy?"

"Oh, just standing in the rain waiting to get on an airplane, sweetie," Mwu told her casually. "The boys asked me to say hi to you too."

"I miss you, daddy!"

"I miss you too, sweetie," Mwu whispered. "Put mommy back on okay." Mwu waited until he heard Murrue's voice on the other end. "They behaving?"

"To the best of their ability," Murrue said cheerfully, bringing a smile to Mwu's face. "They really miss their daddy, though."

"So I've heard," Mwu said quietly. "Look...we're heading for America tomorrow. I'll try to get home for a few days sometime during the lull in the tour next month."

"Don't rush yourself, honey," Murrue reminded him. "The band needs you just as much as we do. You have a job to do, remember."

"So do you," Mwu said. "When are you due to head into the studio for the next session?"

"Next week," Murrue said. "We start production then. Lacus will be here tomorrow."

"Great. Listen, I've got to go, Murrue. We leave in five minutes."

"Okay, I'll see you soon, Mwu."

"I love you, Murrue"

"I miss you too, Mwu." He heard her blow him a kiss through the speaker and then the phone went dead, leaving Mwu alone once again in the falling rain. As he stood there, he thought about how much he missed them.

* * *

Back at the hotel, the remaining four members of the band lounged in their hotel suite, drinking down the last of their beer before calling it a night. "Damn that show was insane," Athrun murmured.

"Tell me about it, I've never seen so many people jump up and hit the floor like they did today," Kira said. "I can't believe we can actually do that to a crowd."

"Why? We've been doing this four five years, Kira," Nicol reminded him. "For the past three every crowd we've played for has done the same thing."

"Yeah, but we've never had one that big before," Kira sighed. "I can only imagine what it's going to be like when we hit America next week."

"New York, Boston, Philly, Portland, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Baltimore all in one month," Dearka sighed. "Man that's gonna be wild."

"I know, I can't wait!" Kira said, his voice suddenly excited.

"Me too," Nicol added.

"Ditto," Athrun finished quietly. "Cheers to a successful tour, gentlemen." They raised their bottles and the glass clanked together in a pleasant chime.


	11. Hello America!

She felt so good in his arms. He cradled her like a newborn baby, supporting her neck with one of his gentle hands and holding her body with the other, never allowing her to even slip from his grasp; that was the last thing in the world he would do. Her voice spoke to him so peacefully every time she made a single sound and made him wonder how he could have ever lived without her. She was the reason he was where he was in this day and age. Without her, he would have nothing. At first she had been reluctant, lashing out at him with her voice when he did something wrong. But now, after years of being together, she was more tolerant and giddy. Even when he messed up, at this time she responded with something beautiful, as beautiful as she herself was. He tickled her sensitive parts with his strong but caring fingers now, hearing her voice call out to him in pleasure as he did what she liked best. Nothing was more soothing to Athrun Zala at this time. He could hear her voice calling out to him, telling him to go on and keep doing what he was. Athrun was more than happy to oblige-

"Athrun...?" Athrun blinked and turned his head to his left. Kira stretched his arms high above his head in the seat beside him and fought back a fierce yawn that only came out as a whimper. "What time is it...?" his brother-in-law asked sleepily.

Athrun glanced at his wristwatch and said, "Seven-thirty," finally releasing his grip on his guitar and taking his fingers away from her strings.

Kira shook his head to get the cobwebs out of his sleep driven brain. "How long have you been up?"

"About an hour," Athrun answered quickly, slipping his bass back into its case that was safely placed in the aisle between the rows of seats. The private jet they were on only had about twenty seats, so it was relatively small, but there was enough room on board to move around comfortably. Any convenience that could have been taken into affect _had_ been imported into the jet's interior. Companies would do anything to get the endorsement of the most successful band in the world. "The others have been up for about twenty minutes. Yzak's in the bathroom, Nicol and Dearka are getting breakfast. I've just been sitting here for a while, waiting for you to wake up."

"Great," Kira said, slowly getting to his feet. "Think I'll get something to eat, then."

"Hey, what time is it back home right now?" Athrun asked, tucking his legs under the seat to allow Kira access to the aisle.

"Uh...about eleven at night, I think," Kira said, going over the calculations in his mind. "Why...you gonna call her?"

"Yeah, I figure I should. It's been about a week since I talked to her."

"She been busy?" Kira asked, referring to his sister.

"Yeah, pretty much. It gets that way when you're half a world apart."

As Athrun took out his cell-phone and headed back towards the plane's tail, Kira ventured forward a compartment and found Dearka, Nicol, and Mwu munching hungrily on helpings of sausage, bacon, and scrambled eggs, downing them all with boiling hot coffee. Kira helped himself to a link of smoked sausage and sat down beside his musical counterparts.

"D'you just wake up, Kira?" Mwu asked.

"Yeah...Athrun woke me up. What's been goin' on?"

"Nothin' much," Dearka said casually. "Just protests."

"Protests?" Both Dearka and Mwu gestured with their thumbs in a distracted sort of matter, not even bothering to leave their food. Kira turned to the small monitor just in front of the pilot's cockpit where an image was already playing across the screen. Wobbling over on sleepy legs, Kira squinted to get a clear view of what the television was playing. It showed the city of New York. LaGuardia Airport to be precise, where their plane was due to land later that morning. And there was a small group of people standing by one of the terminal gates holding signs and shouting something that Kira didn't recognize.

He was able to make out the voice of the calm reporter beside the protestors. "_Here at LaGuardia International Airport, swarms of people are awaiting the arrival of the most successful rock band of the last five years, _Iron Fist._ Many of them are here to welcome them with open arms, fans of the group have already begun to dot the areas closest to the runway where the private jet is scheduled to land at approximately nine fifteen this morning. But there are also people here who are trying to get another message across to the band. One of anger and discontent over one of their songs on their newest album. The song titled _Rock of Ages_ has garnered criticism in America, especially in the southern states over the material the song is about, fire and tearing down a building with the power of music. While many have dismissed the song as just plain fun, others have maintained that the song is meant for an entirely different purpose, one of violence and arson."_

The screen panned to another location where a man was speaking before a crowd of gatherers. _"The song is preaching to our young people that setting fire to buildings is okay...that music is a liable excuse to destroy things...!"_

_"Over the past few weeks several incidents have been reported of arson in several states and some offenders have cited the song as the reason for their rampage. Now, the band and its record company has released an official statement saying quote, 'We are completely astounded by the impact the song has had, but do not believe that it is deliberately responsible for the incidents," end quote. But as you can see people still are concerned over the impact of the song and are lining the terminal gate waiting for the band to arrive. Reporting live from LaGuardia International..."_

"Pfft," Kira mumbled to himself, scoffing down another helping of sausage and bacon. "I can't believe their going after us because of that."

"Now you know how we feel," Mwu said. "I've had to deal with this all week. Label's been sued by four different parties claiming liabilities against you guys and the song. Bunch of morons looking for closure if you ask me. The only reason I didn't tell you guys is I didn't want to distract you from your gigs."

"Forget it," Dearka said before Kira could respond. "Like you said all those people are all a bunch of morons who don't have anything better to do as it is. Just forget about and let's look forward to what we've got later. America's waiting for us."

"Yeah, at least there's that," Kira agreed, gulping down some coffee. "Thank god we don't have to deal with this every day."

Twenty minutes later, at the rear of the plane, Yzak wandered out of the bathroom wiping his face clean with a rag and ran his sweaty palms through his silver hair. He spotted Nicol sitting by himself in one of the seats towards the rear and said, "Nicol have you eaten yet?"

"Yeah, I already ate," Nicol answered quietly.

"You need anything?"

"No I'm fine, thanks." Yzak shrugged his shoulders and headed towards the front of the plane where his breakfast awaited.

Nicol put his arms behind his head and casually crossed his legs. He glanced out the sun-filled window near him and could make out the skyline of New York City just a few miles away, the skyscrapers jutting into the atmosphere majestically. As he glanced at the metropolis gleaming brightly below him, the twenty-four year old let his mind wander back to another place even more beautiful to him than this; his home in the PLANTs where his parents and family waited. His father was a major political figure in the PLANTs and his mother worked as a lawyer in the high courts. Both of them had rather had Nicol gone into classical music rather than rock, but even after he'd joined the group they had supported him one hundred percent, which was all Nicol asked from them during his time with the band.

The other individual included in that group waiting for him to return, even more so than his parents, was his fiance of six months, Krystal. No one outside of the band, management, and his family knew about the engagement, which was exactly how Nicol wanted it. He was a private person in real life when he wasn't on the road with the band. Sure, he loved the interaction of being a music star, but like the performances, he liked to hang around the back, away from the spotlight that Kira, Yzak, and Athrun got. When he wasn't touring, he spent much of his time at home, with his family. It was hard for him to avoid the spotlight even when he was at home, but that was what he needed Krystal for. She was a very successful public relations director for a major corporation in the PLANTs and she had the business psyche needed to keep the public away at times when Nicol desperately needed time away from the glow of the spotlight. They had started seeing each other just after the end of the group's first tour five years earlier, when they had been introduced to one another at a party thrown by Nicol's own parents. She was three years his senior, but regardless of that Nicol had been captivated by her stunning beauty ever since that day. They'd been seeing each other for three years before Nicol finally got up the nerve to get on his knees and pop the question. To his surprise, Krystal had said no, but not in the way that it may have been perceived. It was just as the group was heading back to Orb to record the new album and Krystal didn't want to rush into marriage like that. Nicol had to admit that he didn't want to rush either, so it was mutually agreed that they would wait until the tour was finished before they held the ceremony. But still, even now as the plane began its slow decent towards LaGuardia, Nicol couldn't help but take her picture out of his wallet and look upon her beautiful face. She normally wore hazel rimmed glasses, but in the photo they were absent, so Nicol could see the brown eyes that held just as much joy and heart-felt love as the warm smile she displayed smartly and professionally. Her red hair, tied in a pony-tail that went to her slender shoulders, gleamed brightly back at him. Nicol couldn't wait to get this tour over with and get back to her. Somewhere up there, he knew she couldn't wait either.

As the group began to get their stuff together to exit the plane, Dearka asked, "Hey, you never told us who we're touring with this time?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot...uh...you're with..._Next Generation_...and..._Coaltown_'s your opening act for the rest of the tour up until we hit Orb." Mwu could just about hear the breath leave the five guys behind him when they heard him say it, but Mwu barely took any notice. "Something the matter?"

"Nope," Kira said, following him towards the door which now was swinging open. He could hear the fans outside already starting to scream. He squinted his eyes in the bright sunlight as he gingerly stepped onto the stairs. "Just thinking how wild this tour's gonna be!"

* * *

"Alright, hold it there...and...say cheese...!" 

Flashbulbs went off in multiple choruses as the band tried their best not to fidget or blink amongst the fray of bright lights. It had been like this all day. Nonstop media attention in the United States' most populated city and media capital. At least now they were able to sit down after being shuffled from one location to the next by reporters and photographers who wanted just a single glimpse or word from them. Though the press conference wasn't something they delighted in, the quintet knew that if they wanted to maintain their current image they would have to talk to the media at some point. Now was the time.

"Question in the back, guys," Mwu announced, acting as field marshal in the media frenzy.

"Question for the entire band. How has this tour differed from the ones you've done in the past?"

"Not much really," Athrun said quickly.

"Yeah, they're all a lot of fun and as always our fans show up, so that's really the best part, but this time there's a whole new crop we've managed to recruit out there. Otherwise, there's not much difference between tours, no..." Kira finished.

"Over on the right."

"For the entire band, this will be your fourth tour in America, can you say anything in particular that you enjoy about coming here on tour?"

"The energy here is unbelievable compared to the rest of the world," Nicol answered honestly. "I mean, look right here the only other place we get this much attention is when we're back home in Orb. Otherwise there's no comparison."

"Up front here."

"Kira, can you talk about the controversy that's unfolded over one of your newer songs on the new album. _Rock of Ages_, I believe it's called."

Kira sighed visibly and deeply before stating, "I really can't understand what the controversy is really all about. I mean, everybody's saying that the songs passing subliminal messages through the lyrics, I believe that's what all the fuss is about...but really we had no intention of even _thinking_ of doing that. Athrun and Yzak can back me up on that..."

"Yeah, all the song's about is having a good time partying and listen to rock," Yzak clarified.

"When you listen to it a couple of times you realize that the fire mentioned in there is actually a metaphor for the heat and intensity that burns within the spirit when you hear rock music," Athrun added. "That's what we were shooting for and we were just shocked when the reports reached us that stuff like this was happening."

"So you claim no responsibility for the actions of individuals who have committed the arson and the other crimes?"

"None whatsoever," Kira said simply. The others nodded their heads in agreement.

"Next question," Mwu commanded like a five-star general, his voice calm and coordinated. "Second from the left, guys."

"I'm sure you gentlemen have heard all the acclaim the new group _Next Generation's_ been receiving lately and the comparisons to yourselves they are entreating. What are your responses to the critics who've been stating recently that the group is capable of being as great as you?"

Kira smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "I'd say that's cool. I'm fine with it."

"Just the fact that someone's actually being compared _to_ us is compliments enough," Dearka joked, getting a laugh from many of the reporters and photographers.

"Yeah...well if that's what they want to say, we'll let 'em say it. Besides, we'll be on tour with them for the next few months as it is, so we'll let you make your own judgments at the shows," Athrun said.

"They're a very talented and gifted group and it wouldn't surprise me at all if they did surpass us in popularity at some point," Kira said.

"Two more, guys. Back right corner."

"As was stated before, there have been several incidents involving arson where the culprits claimed that your lyrics caused them to perpetrate the acts...as well as several lawsuits filed against you and your label...what are your responses to that...?"

Kira paused. He turned towards Mwu and whispered, "Are we allowed to..."

"Uh, at this time the label has disallowed any of their representatives to comment on the recent matters so neither myself or the group is able to answer that question at this time," Mwu announced smartly. "Last question, middle row, second to left."

"Is there anything you'd like your fans in the Atlantic Federation to know as you head out on tour this week?"

Kira smiled. "Sit back and enjoy the show."


	12. The Tour

**8:00 A.M.**

Madison Square Garden is the premiere indoor concert venue in the entire United States and the most famous. Lodged in the tight confines of New York City, surrounded on all sides by heavily congested traffic lanes and sidewalks crowded with people rushing from one point to the next, it normally stands incongruously within the steel jungle that is the largest city in the United States. Yellow taxi cabs and white city buses honk their horns and squeal their wheels as they traverse the streets around it. And below, the subway trains rumble underground, shaking the sidewalks every once in a while, but nobody seems to notice, especially inside the Garden itself. As the fourth of its kind, the arena is almost immune to the punishment that the area around it takes daily.

Usually, the Garden is home to the city's basketball, hockey, and other sports teams that don't play outdoors, but occasionally it hosts other events, like the one that was scheduled for that night. It was a warm summer morning in the city that day, but inside the Garden it was cool and quiet. Where the basketball court and hockey rink usually sat, hundreds of seats had been positioned around a central structure that would serve as the stage for three of the premiere musical groups in the world: _Coaltown, Next Generation, _and _Iron Fist_.

On the stage were two individuals. One with long green hair twisting a few knobs and stomping on a few pedals behind a drum set that consisted of a bass drum, two snares, two tom-toms, two cymbals, a high-hat cymbal, and most importantly, a cow bell. The other sat atop an amplifier, one hand playing with the knobs that controlled the sound the device produced, the other gently tapping the strings of the guitar he held in his hands, a colorful mix of gray and blue in the shape of a square, but with an X across the middle. This man had long, sky blue hair and a fair complexion. From where he sat, he talked above the sound to the other two individuals in his unit off the stage, both with short green hair, one a few inches taller than the other.

In the first three rows of seats before the stage sat six other people. One with short black hair and fiery red eyes held a cigarette between his fingers and brought it to his lips for a puff. "What do you think?" The man turned his head just barely to the right. His companion with long blonde hair added, "Think they're pretty good?"

He shrugged. "They seem alright."

"Better than alright if you ask me," said the pink-haired girl behind them. "Even though this is their first national tour."

"They're famous in southern California, though," an orange haired man replied. "They're literally icons down there."

Behind them, the doors to the arena swung open and they could hear footsteps beginning to come down the aisle between the seats. "That them?" the leader wondered out loud.

"Yep, here they come," the girl answered, turning her head to see the most famous band in the world coming straight towards them.

"Glad to be back here, boys?" Mwu asked the band as he stopped just a few feet from the stage.

"Sure," Kira responded casually.

"It's America," Dearka added, "Our biggest source of revenue."

As they shared a laugh, Mwu approached the six people sitting in the seats, many of whom stood to greet him. "Guys, let me introduce you to _Next Generation_," he announced. "Lunamaria Hawke, bass guitar," he began, referring to the lone woman in the group, "Youlan Kent, drums. Vino Dupre, rhythm guitar. Rey za Burrel, keyboards. Shinn Asuka, lead guitar. Heine Westenflauss, vocalist." Each of them waved a hello or just said it. To them, Mwu said, "Guys, meet _Iron Fist_. Yzak Joule, lead guitar. Kira Yamato, vocalist and rhythm guitar. Athrun Zala, bass guitar. Nicol Amalfi, keyboards. Dearka Elsman, drums." The two groups exchanged hand shakes and greetings for the next few minutes before Mwu began to speak again. "And now let me introduce you to the young lings." He pointed to the side of the stage. "Sting Oakley, bass guitar. Orga Sabnak, vocalist." And then at the stage. "Shani Andras, drums. Auel Nider, lead guitar. _Coaltown_."

Auel hopped off of the amp and stood on the stage with his guitar held securely in his grasp. "They any good?" Yzak wondered out loud from where he stood.

Suddenly, Shani thumped out three quick beats on the snare and tom-tom. At that instant, a carnivorous sound erupted from the guitar Auel held in his hands, cascaded through the patch chord, and came out of the massive speaker in the amplifier in a huge wave of noise. His slender fingers danced across the strings of his box-shaped guitar and sound seemed to literally jump off of the strings and all across the room. It blew through the halls and corridors of the Garden in a massive wave, shooting out the doors and into the city streets with the force of a freight train. When it came to a red light, the sound seemed to slow down for an instant, almost to a halt as a matter of fact. Then the light turned green, the drums sounded quickly once again, and the guitar took off into a gust of sound. Higher and higher it rose until it was equal in height to the Woolworth Building. Then the Chrysler Building. Soon it reached the infamous Empire State Building and higher still into the blue sky over New York. It thundered across the city in a barrage of eighth notes and sixteenth notes that were played with such relative ease that Auel barely had to move the fingers on his right hand while his left just held the neck of the guitar.

Then, just as quickly, the music quieted, once again retreating into the confines of the Garden. Silence enveloped the facility for several seconds. Then suddenly, it sounded again. Roaring out of the amplifier with a quieter, but more forceful push this time, it rocketed through the doors and out to the city limits, rushing past buses, cars, bikes, and trains as it reached into all quadrants of the city. Auel made it look even easier. All he did was just move one finger from one key to the other to change the pitch of the sound every once in a while that made it seem like a song in itself. The sound reached as far south as Newark, then pushed west towards East Rutherford, over Stanton Island, through Manhattan, across Long Island, skimmed the Hudson and East Rivers, crashed through the streets of Queens and finally returned right back to the Garden where it came to a crashing halt and gently faded away. That entire escapade had taken a total time of one minute, forty three-seconds.

"Damn, it's still out of tune," Auel whispered roughly to himself as he turned on his heal and went back to work on the amp. In the aisle, every collective mouth in _Iron Fist_ and _Next Generation_ had practically dropped to the floor in astonishment.

"Still wonder if we're any good?" Sting asked casually, folding his arms in a sign of satisfaction.

"Uh...I think that solidifies your spot on this tour..." Kira managed.

"_Eruption_." Heads turned quickly to the door behind them and were shocked to see the tall, brown-haired individual walking slowly towards them, his hands shoved into the pockets of his long brown coat. "That's what he calls it," Andy added. "Guys, meet _Coaltown_, my newest associates. I produced their debut album."

"Man, they must be good if you took them on," Dearka said.

"You kidding, they're better than you were when _you_ first started," Andy responded, continuing towards the stage, leaving the flabbergasted members of _Iron Fist_ in his wake.

* * *

**3:00 P.M.**

The hours passed quickly, slipping through the time stream like trout in a river. Showtime was growing closer.

In his dressing room, Yzak could hear other members of his band chatting outside the door. "Yzak, you coming or not? We gotta warm up!" Dearka's voice rang out.

"Give me fifteen minutes, I'm busy!" Yzak responded. As soon as he thought Dearka was gone, Yzak picked up his pen and set about the task of finishing his letter. It had been two weeks since he'd last written her. He was perilously late and wanted desperately to hear from her again. Yzak scribbled out the last few lines and set his pen down once again, bringing the letter before his eyes so he could read it in its entirety.

_Dear Shiho,_

_I write to you from New York. Madison Square Garden to be precise. I apologize for the late arrival of this letter, but time has required my attention these past few days._

_Life on the road in America has been one outrageous experience to the next. We've just arrived in this country and already we have been barraged by fans, admirers, and protestors. I'm sure you've seen the newscasts. It may seem as though we've become an obsession for some people, but they take it with full context of the mind. After all, it's not like we're some nobody band from some country nobody can pronounce._

_We get by normally by just doing what we do best. Playing music and being ourselves. We really don't see any point to act otherwise._

"So you'll be here in New York for two weeks?"

"Well in the area to be more precise," Dearka corrected. He put the steaming coffee pot back on the table and brought his mug to his lips. "We've got three shows at the Garden this weekend," he explained to Miriallia who was also enjoying a cup of coffee, "Then we go to the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford for a couple of days starting Wednesday and we end our time here over at Shea Stadium next Sunday."

"Speaking of baseball stadiums, I hear that you guys once sang the national anthem at a Yankees game on your last tour," Miriallia asked. "Is that true?"

"Well to be more precise it was _Kira_ who sang the national anthem. The rest of us just sat in the skybox and watched," he chuckled. "Yeah, it was probably better that we didn't. I can't sing for crap."

"Yes, I know, I've heard you sing," Miriallia said, much to Dearka's surprise.

"When?"

"You sing in your dressing room when you think nobody's around. I've heard you singing some of Lacus' songs back there," she smiled.

"Aw dammit. You didn't tell anyone did you?"

"No." Dearka sighed in relief. "I just put it in my last article. Everyone will know in about a month."

"Aww man..." Dearka sighed, as Miriallia giggled beside him. "I knew I was gonna regret this at some point."

_I must say that the cuisine here in America is of a variety that I've never had the honor of sampling anywhere else in the world. No offense to England of course, but America is so full of culture and mystery that it's a wonder that some people can't stand their food. But I must say, that nothing here compares to the pubs that you introduced me to back in England. Every time I find myself there, I can almost guarantee that I will be visiting Dillon's every chance I get._

Shinn heaved another fork full of scrambled eggs into his mouth and chewed the soft, spongy, protein-filled concoction until it mixed with his saliva and slid easily down his throat. Washing it down with a quick burst of water, he quickly scooped up another batch.

"Shinn, slow down," Lunamaria warned. She was sitting beside him at the table in the group's dressing room, munching on her plate of bratwurst. "You'll choke if you eat that fast."

"Yeah, we can't have our lead player die before we even hit the stage," Yolant advised.

Shinn shot an annoyed glance at his dark skinned band mate. "Since when did you become my mother, Yolant?"

"Hey, I'm just sayin'."

Lunamaria smiled. "Shinn, we're only concerned about your well being."

The red-eyed lead guitarist sighed. He placed his hand over Lunamaria's and said, "I know. I'm sorry. Can I really help it if I'm hungry though?"

The bass player tilted her head to the side. "No. I guess not."

Yolant rolled his eyes. "Ugh...before you guys get all mushy over each other, let me leave. _Please_!" He quickly bolted out the door.

_Besides eating, we've also managed to keep ourselves sane off stage by resorting to childhood games we've known for years. It may sound immature, but we take it in stride. I've found that games help to keep us patient in real life, and that translates into our actions when we're on stage._

Auel glanced tentatively over the top edges of his cards. He caught Sting's eyes not staring back at him. Rather, they were practically half closed, gazing over the five cards in his hand.

"Alright, what've you got?" Auel demanded.

"Do you really want to know?" Sting asked.

"Show me the crap already, Sting."

"Four aces," Sting said proudly. Auel flung his cards down on the table in disgust.

Orga smirked. He sat in a chair just a short distance away from the game, reading a novel of some sort. "Still taking him to poker school, Sting?"

"He still thinks he can beat me someday," Sting answered casually, scooping up another ten dollars he had just taken from the stunned guitarist. "Even though I've been kicking his lazy butt for two years."

"I still say you're cheating somehow..." Auel managed. "Somehow...some way..."

"Give it a rest, Auel," Sting said. "You just can't beat me. So...you wanna play again?"

"You know it!"

_I'll be the first to admit though...it does get lonely out here on the road sometimes. We all should know. What with Kira and Athrun having wives back in Orb...Nicol and Dearka's families back in the PLANTs...myself...but enough of that. We'll be heading to the Midwest and Canada next month, before touring through the South later on this summer. I can only imagine the reception we'll get once we enter the Bible Belt. I'm sure you've heard about the controversy. _

_Speaking of that, I've taken your advice in your last letter about finding a substitution for the song that's creating the controversy. I think I may have finally found it. If it's okay with you, I'd like to call it _Pour Some Sugar_, or something of that nature...since you practically put the phrase in my head at the pub._

_Well, it's getting near Showtime, so I'll have to close this letter. I'm not really sure how to end it, so I'll just say this._

_I miss you Shiho. I hope I'll be able to see you again soon._

_L-._

Yzak had stopped himself before he could put the word onto the page. Did he really want to...after what had happened. Yzak closed his eyes and shut the memory out from his mind. That was years ago. He had gotten over it. Well...he _thought_ he'd gotten over it. Over the betrayal that had been thrust upon him by her... Taking up his pen, he scribbled the last two words onto the letter.

_Love, Yzak.

* * *

_

**3:30 P.M.**

Kira stood with his back to the seats. His red, white, and blue Jackson PC1 Guitar was draped across his chest, slung down from his black neck strap. Carefully, he was tweaking the strings on the guitar in order to form a rhythm that had been shown to him just a few weeks ago back in England. It went like this: _Da-da...da-Da-da...da-Da. Da. Da-da. da-Da-da._ Kira repeated the chorus a few times to Athrun who was standing beside him holding his red, Stingray bass guitar under his arm. "Is that the one Yzak came up with?" Athrun asked his brother-in-law.

"Yeah, he showed it to me a while back," Kira answered. He brought his fingers away from the strings and stopped playing. "Said it may be something we can use as a substitute for _Ages_ when we go down to the South in a couple of months."

"Have you heard the entire thing, yet?" Athrun inquired, plucking the strings on his bass and turning the gears on the tip of its neck in order to tune it.

"He hasn't written the entire thing. He's got that chorus riff, the opening one, and then he's the chords for the chorus line down. He wanted me to try and find some cool stuff to go in between the lyrics, which he's still writing." Kira added, "He says it'll be a big hit though if we play it."

"So what...is it up-beat? Power ballad...?" Athrun asked as Kira took a sip from a bottle of water near him.

"Nah, he's says it's up-beat, hard rock," Kira answered, wiping his mouth. "From what he's shown me, I don't have any reason to believe otherwise." Kira set down the bottle and turned back to glance at one of the band's rodeys standing near one of the amps behind them. "Hey, you wanna turn the amp up for a minute, Mac?" He said to Athrun, "I wanna go through that one end of _Animal_ again. You know...the part where Yzak's just finishing his solo and we're heading back into the chorus..."

"Yeah, that did sound kinda funky when we played it at Live Aid, didn't it?" Athrun admitted.

"Uh-huh. Let's just run through it again."

A short distance away, Mwu was sitting in one of the folding chairs that had been set up around the stage and watched the guitarists warm up, going over parts and riffs to make sure they would be ready for the show tonight. His arms were casually slung behind his head and neck as he tried to relax. It wasn't easy being the manager of the most successful band in the world, after all.

"Hey." Mwu heard Andy's voice as his friend came close to him. "Having fun, yet?"

"Don't I always?" Mwu responded. "So how's life been for you these past few months, Andy?"

Andy shrugged. "Same as usual. Hang around the studios, hang around with my wife...just basically-."

"Hanging around?" Mwu finished with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah." There was a pause. "Look, Mwu, I gotta shove off."

"Alright, see ya later, Andy," Mwu answered as Andy began to make his way slowly up the aisle and toward the exit. Before he made it though, he stopped suddenly. "Oh by the way, Mwu. There's a package here for you."

"Huh?" Mwu turned in his seat. Andy was in the doorway that led out of the building when someone else moved around him quickly. Her movements were so fast that Mwu could hardly believe his eyes. Her brown hair and eyes were gleaming in the lights emulating from the top of the high ceiling and her smile was as white as pearls. "Hello, Mwu," Murrue called out to him as she made her way towards him.

Mwu jumped up from his seat as much in surprise as in happiness. He pulled his wife into an embrace and whispered her name as he nuzzled his face into her hair. They kissed shortly and sweetly. Mwu's smile was as big as it had been in days. "What are you doing here?" he asked, still in a state of shock. "I thought you were back home right now working on Lacus' album."

"We got some time off. I thought I'd surprise you," Murrue answered.

"Well, you did surprise me. And I thought the package was just a piece of equipment we left at the airport," Mwu admitted.

"You know...you haven't seen the entire package yet," Murrue said. She turned her head. "You can come out now."

Mwu grinned from ear to ear as he crunched down on his haunches and extended his arms. Cries of "Daddy!" echoed in his ears as his daughters, ran down the aisle as fast as their little legs could carry them. Mwu scooped them both up in his arms, five-year-old Amy in the right, and two-year-old Jennifer in his left. They came him with such momentum that Mwu was unable to stop himself from tumbling onto his back as their added weight caused him to fall backwards. He could care less at this point, laughing like a boy not much older than his daughters as he kissed each one of them on the cheek and forehead.

Getting to his feet, Mwu held both of his daughters in his arms as he turned back to face his smiling wife. "This was the last thing I expected, you know."

"Well in our business, you have to expect the unexpected," Murrue warned him. They kissed again, much to the chagrin of the girls as they made sour, pouty faces in their adolescent disgust.

"Aww, isn't that a pretty picture." Mwu glanced back towards the stage to find Kira and Athrun looking back at him and fighting back smirks. "Isn't that the prettiest thing you ever did see, Athrun?"

"Just wait, you guys," Mwu advised with an edge to his voice. "I swear, I will get you two..._so bad..._when you have kids. Just you wait."

"Yeah, right," Athrun laughed.

Mwu smiled as his thoughts went back to his family. "Come on girls, you wanna say hi to Uncle Kira and Uncle Athrun." Amy and Jenny cried back with enthusiastic "Yeahs!".

* * *

**6:00 P.M.**

The Garden was filled to capacity with people. Young and old, big and little. Everyone had a smile on their face as the first band of the night, the newcomers from southern California, _Coaltown_, hit the stage.

The quartet began their first song as Shani almost casually eased his drum sticks across the surface of a tom-tom and rattled of a quick series of strikes. A few seconds later, Sting and Auel joined the fray, Auel running his fingers across the strings of his guitar as he stood on the edge of the stage just inches from the front of the crowd. The sound coming from his guitar was that of an anguished cry, like someone crying in unobstructed dismay. It fit perfectly with Shani's easy snare drum beat and Sting's constant, _du...du-du...du-du...du-du_, underneath them on the bass guitar. This continued for a while as Orga emerged from the shadows behind the stage with a microphone in hands. Known for his uncensored style of singing and moving about the stage with reckless abandon, Orga had earned the nickname the Most Vulgar Front Man in Music. He took that as a compliment though. And given the first words to come from his mouth during the song, in his baritone voice, that moniker seemed to fit him perfectly.

_She saw the look in his eyes_

_And she knew better._

_He wanted her tonight, ah!_

_And it was now or never._

_He made her feel so sad._

With a cocky grin on his face, and his eyes closed about half-way, Orga smirked at the crowd as Sting made his way towards the standing microphone set-up to Orga's left. This was the section of the song that everyone in the audience knew and even loved.

_**Oh-oh-oh! Jamie's Cryin'!**_

_**Oh-oh-oh! Jamie's Cryin'!**_

Sting's voice was considerably louder than Orga's and coupled with it, the words echoed all across the arena, ringing like a church organ, though this still had an obnoxious lead guitarist behind it, playing an anguished cry of sorrow underneath the vocals. Launching into the second verse, the set had begun.

Backstage, Kira watched beside a stack of crates with many of the support staff that toured with _Iron Fist_ and the other bands. Kira nodded his head in approval as he watched Orga and Auel run around the stage like kids, Orga playing with the girls in the front of the crowd. _Now that's a true front man,_ Kira thought to himself. _Knows how to handle the ladies...always smiles...and hell, he can sing pretty good. _Kira could tell that these kids would be stars for years to come. With the way the crowd was reacting, Kira knew that this would definitely be a tough act to follow.

* * *

**7:30 P.M.**

Yolant's right foot stepped on the pedal connected to the high-hat cymbal at the right corner of his drum-set. He stepped on it in a steady count of four beats. Out in the crowd, people joined in the motion, clapping their hands to the beat, forming a constant rapping sound that filled the Garden. Slowly, all the member of _Next Generation_ filtered onto the stage. First Rey, behind the keyboard and piano. Then Lunamaria appeared, a Finder bass guitar slung down to her waist. Vino had his Gibson Kramer grasped firmly in his hands. Finally, there was Shinn, sawdust colored Gibson Les Paul guitar slung at least three notches too low so that it fell down to just below his waist.

Yolant continued the steady beat, before quickly tapping twice with the edge of his foot on the pedal. The high-hat clinked out two slaps before the sound of Shinn and Vino's guitars joined it in the opening chord. Underneath the chord, Lunamaria cranked out the rhythm for the song on her bass, a steady beat that kept the movement going when the others weren't playing much at all. This went on for several more verses, before Shinn entered with the lead guitar part, a sort of swing riff that took him to the front of the stage, his fingers dancing across the strings so quickly that they hardly seemed to be moving at all. At last, the final member of the band emerged. Heine had a microphone in his hand, and upon bringing it to his lips, sang out in his heavenly voice, Vino and Lunamaria joining him.

_**Tell me where are you going?**_

_**  
Sweet Mademoiselle.**_

_**To London or Paris?**_

_**To the grand hotel?**_

Backstage, Kira could hear Heine sing the opening verse as Shinn played a simple riff of quarter and eighth notes underneath his voice.

_Where do you go_

_At the end of the day?_

_Where do you go_

_When you spend time away?_

_To islands in the tropics and_

_A range of trips to distant lands._

_You're searching for a dream,_

_Well maybe it's me!_

_I tell you hello! (Hello!) (Hello!)_

_And what do you **say?**_

_As I stop you go_

_There's no reason to stay!_

_(Ain't no reason to stay!)_

_It all began so harmlessly_

_You gave me love so easily_

_I never realized_

_You were just spending time!_

Kira nodded his head solemnly in approval as the chorus began to sing once again. _I thought following those kids was going to be tough. Following these guys is going to be next to impossible.

* * *

_

**9:00 P.M.**

Kira stood on a small platform underneath the stage, his Jackson PC1 held tightly to him. He took deep breaths to calm himself. He wore his usual attire for the stage: blue jeans, t-shirt, and his head-set microphone. He could hear the other members of _Iron Fist_ talking through the radio that also served as a part of his head-set.

"What do you guys think?" Kira wondered out loud.

"About what, Kira?" Nicol asked.

"Can we do it? Can we follow those two guys? They set the bar awfully high."

There was a pause. Suddenly, Kira heard laughter coming from the other end of the microphone. "Since when did you start doubting us, Kira?" Dearka asked sarcastically. "Of course, we can follow them. We're _Iron Fist_!"

Above him, Kira could hear the countdown began. _Ten...nine...eight..._ He smiled. Of course they could follow them. In fact...it was time to take the kids to school. The real-life, School of Rock. Slowly, the platform began to rise.

_Seven...six...five..._ Kira turned off the radio, leaving the head-set's only job that of a microphone. A microphone that would bring his voice to every set of ears in that audience.

_Four...three...two...one..._ Kira held his guitar tight. He licked his lips in anticipation. It was SHOW TIME!

_We have liftoff...!

* * *

_

**Eruption **and **Jamie's Cryin'** are songs by **Van Halen**. **Mademoiselle** is a song by **Styx**. I do not own these bands or the rights to these songs.


	13. A Night Out

A mid-Spring afternoon in Chicago, Illinois can mean one of two things. Either it is sunny and very warm, or cloudy and very cool. There really is no happy medium any way you look at it. For the town known as the Windy City, though that calling card was meant to describe the people that live there rather than the weather, it's just another day. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan in the upper Midwest, the region's largest city is also home to some of the region's most beautiful landscapes. Among these are the Sears Tower, the United States' tallest building, Millennium Park, home to some of the most beautiful pieces of modern art and sculpture in the entire country, one of the largest airports in the world, O'Hare International, and of course all of the magnificent restaurants and food depositories that make the city famous worldwide.

The downtown Hilton Hotel was where the band was staying during their three day stop in Chicago for two shows at the Allstate Arena in suburban Rosemont. Nestled firmly in the cramped city streets, the hotel is one of the fanciest in the city and also where many dignitaries and famous people stay, which was one of the reasons why _Iron Fist_ and the other bands on the tour were staying there. From its rooms, a guest could see all of downtown Chicago. But at the moment, Dearka was not concerned with the view, but rather something much smaller.

"Damn it, I can't believe this," he moaned as he rummaged through his suitcases that were scattered all across his and Yzak's suite that they shared in the hotel. Had he known he would be going anywhere fancy he would've packed accordingly for the tour, meaning he would have brought something else other than jeans, t-shirts, and other casual clothes. He'd managed to find a decent looking pair of khaki pants, but he believed that he would need to wear something better than just a t-shirt this evening.

Yzak was sitting in one of the suite's chairs, smoking a cigarette, and enjoying the sight of his band mate and friend act like a school girl with the way he was tossing his clothes all about the room. "I never thought I'd see the day you turned into a prep girl, Dearka," he joked while puffing smoke out of his nostrils and lips.

"Shut up, Yzak!" Dearka retorted. "You'd be doing the same if you were in my situation." Yzak chuckled loudly at the remark. Dearka instantly recognized his mistake and said, "...Or not."

Yzak stabbed out his cigarette in an ash tray and tossed it into the silver lined plate. "What the hell's going on with you anyway? The show's not til tomorrow."

"I have plans for my day off," Dearka said. "More precisely, I'm having dinner with Miriallia tonight."

"_Oh_. So you've got a date tonight, huh?"

"It's not a date," Dearka answered. "I figured I owed it to her for what happened in London the last time we tried to go out." He managed to somehow locate a faded red polo shirt at the bottom of one of his suitcases and wrestled it over his head. "I'm taking her to the Hard Rock and then we're going to see a show. Damn...does this look at least half-way decent?"

Yzak was already lighting another cigarette and stopped midway through his puff. He mumbled, "And you're asking me this because...?"

"_Yzak_."

"It looks fine, man," Yzak answered finally. "What are you worried about? Is she gonna take one look at you and leave the tour completely, even if that means giving up her job?"

Dearka sighed. "Alright, maybe I am overreacting a little."

"A little?" Yzak said.

"Yzak." Dearka walked over to the closet and added, "Do you still have those loafers you wore to Athrun's wedding or something?"

"Yeah, they're in the bottom of the small case," Yzak told him. "I haven't worn 'em since then, so they may be a little worn out."

"As long as they're wearable," Dearka said. "She's staying at the Sheraton, right?" Miriallia liked to stay at a different hotel than the one the band was staying at in America. With all the publicity surrounding them, it only seemed appropriate that she stand in the background and write her articles in private.

"Uh-huh," Yzak said. "You taking the BMW?"

"Hell no," Dearka replied quickly. He produced the shoes from Yzak's suitcase and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I'm driving the Camaro."

An hour later, Dearka was standing by the door of the Sheraton Hotel of Chicago on the north side of the city. Dressed in his khakis, pale red shirt, and a short black jacket over it, he was dressed better than casual, but considerably less than formal, which may have been what this evening's festivities called for, but since it was short notice, he had to make due with what he had. Besides, he hated dressing up as it was. Once again, he had donned sunglasses to make himself look inconspicuous, but that didn't stop some people passing by from pointing him out and snapping the occasional photo.

He had called Miriallia half an hour earlier on his way to the hotel, driving the jet black Camaro that had served as his mode of transportation while in the city, through the crowded rush hour streets of Chicago. If only he could take it with him back home, he thought to himself.

"I'm here, Dearka." Dearka glanced through the tinted lenses on his sunglasses and saw Miriallia coming towards him. The dark frames impaired his view of her however, so he removed them. She was dressed in a simple blue dress with sleeves that stopped about half-way to her elbows and stretched to just above her knees. A black belt was secured around her waist, showing off her slim figure, and she had donned a short black jacket over her shoulders, plus a small hand-bag over her shoulder.

"I'd say you were," he smiled. "Car's out front. Come on."

He popped his glasses back over his eyes and led her out to the car which was sitting in a parking lot a short walk away. He opened the door for her, being the gentleman that he was, which made Miriallia smile at him. Dearka climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine. "Is this yours?" she asked.

"Nah. I always rent a car whenever we're in a city for an extended period of time. Though I have to admit, it's kind of nice to know that you're going to get the best car in the lot before you even get to the rental place." Dearka threw his car into reverse and backed out into the street. Stopping at a red light, he said, "You ready to have some fun?"

As if to answer his question, Miriallia reached into her bag and pulled out her own pair of sunglasses. "What do you think? It's my one day off in five weeks, after all," she reminded him.

"That's what I like to here." He punched the gas pedal and they were off.

They made a couple of right and left turns and soon found themselves zooming down Michigan Avenue, the Magnificent Mile, with all the gallant shops and restaurants. Miriallia said, "You think we'll be able to at least eat this time?" She was obviously referring to the incident in London where he'd been swarmed by fans and she went back to the hotel alone.

"Don't worry," Dearka reassured her. "I made reservations for _private _this time. Besides...Hard Rock's got the best security in town." The shops whizzed by as the Camaro zipped through the downtown streets.

* * *

The hostess at the Hard Rock Café on the city's west side was stunned when she saw the couple walk through the front door of the restaurant. After receiving a calm thrashing from Dearka about their need for privacy on this night, also making sure to add that he had made reservations, they were seated at a table near the front of the establishment, well away from anyone else who happened to be dining at the restaurant on this night.

After ordering their food, they sat quietly and chatted idly for an extended period of time. "Do you think it was a good decision to come on the tour with us?" Miriallia brought her gaze, which had been transfixed on the darkening skies of the late evening outside the window near their table, back towards Dearka.

"What do you mean?" Her inquiry was hollow, as if she already knew what was being asked, but was playing the part of unknown anyway.

"Well...it's been almost six months since you came into the Breath Easy back in Orb...you've heard us record an album, watched us film videos, seen us perform live in front of millions of people...plus knowing you, you've gotten a whole lot of material for your magazine." Dearka folded his hands and set his elbows on the table. "Taking that into account, I want to know if it was all worth it for you? Nothing personal. I just would like to know if you yourself think it's been worthwhile to come on tour with us?"

He could see her roll her eyes behind her sunglasses. She brought a hand up to her cheek and brushed a thin lock of brown hair behind her ear. She chuckled. "Well...where do I start? First off, yes, it was entirely worth it to join you boys on this journey across the world."

Their waiter returned with their meals and set them down in front of the couple. Miriallia took a sip from her drink, her adam's apple pulsing as she gulped it down gently. "Go on." Dearka twitched a white pack of sugar between his middle and index fingers before depositing the substance into his steaming cup of coffee.

"Second...I have to admit that I was a little worried at first when I first got the assignment. I had never done anything of this magnitude before...the farthest I'd ever gone was just from one side of Orb to the other." She paused. "But when I first met you all, somehow...I really don't know how...but somehow I just knew that this would be a great experience. And once I got to know you better, I knew that it would. The way you and your friends have fun with being world renowned celebrities is fascinating to say the least. I'd never seen anything like you in that regards." Miriallia could see Dearka smile behind the rim of his cup. She breathed deeply, trying to get her heart to stop beating sporadically as it had throughout her entire statement. "Third...it was worth it because...I never would've met you if I hadn't come on this tour." There was a pause. Dearka chuckled. "What's so funny?" she demanded.

"It's nothing," he said lazily. He set his cup down on its holder. "Though...I never knew you cared about me that much." Her blush was as bright as a red traffic light.

After they finished eating, and not saying much in that period of time, Dearka slowly reached out his hand along the table towards her. Miriallia eyed him suspiciously. "Look, Mir...you want to know the reason I asked you that question earlier?" Much to her surprise, he removed his sunglasses, effectively stripping himself of his disguise. His eyes were sincere as he spoke. "It's because I wanted to tell you how much I love having you with us. This is the most fun I've ever had on a tour...and it's because of you. You're the first person I've met in a long time that actually likes to be with me for an extended period of time. You put up with all my garbage backstage and even make me feel better if I've had a bad show. No one's done that for me for as along as I've been on the road and a part of this band. I just wanted to let you know that."

Miriallia was silent. Slowly, her eyes took in the sight of his open hand laid out innocently in front of her. It looked so inviting. She glanced back at him and he smiled. She exhaled slowly through her petite nose, possibly for the first time during the meal, and gently brought her hand into contact with his. His grip slowly enveloped hers and slowly lifted her off of her chair and to her feet. He helped her with her coat, draping it over her shoulders. "The play starts in an hour. We don't want to be late," he announced.

"Don't forget your sunglasses," she reminded him.

"I won't," he said reassuringly. He slipped them onto his nose and grinned at her. "I won't."

* * *

Later in the evening, when the traffic in downtown Chicago had dwindled down to barely a few motorists, the Camaro pulled up to the front steps of the Sheraton. The doorman held the door open for Miriallia who exited the low riding car gracefully and stepped out onto the curb. Dearka came around the front of his rental car. "Allow me, madam," he said in a playful, accented voice. Miriallia giggled and slipped her arm through his.

Following the ascension in the elevator, they arrived on Miriallia's floor. He walked her to her room. She turned to face him when they reached her door. "Thank you, Dearka. Thank you for everything tonight. It was really wonderful."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." They stood in silence for a moment.

He looked troubled. She took him by the hands. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know..." he mumbled. "It's just...I don't know...this feeling. This feeling I get whenever I'm around you."

"What feeling?"

"I can't put my finger on it...?" he whispered. His hands were slowly making their way up her arms, now holding her close to him by her slender forearms, pushing the sleeves of her dress up to her shoulders. "It feels like...like I'm forgetting something. Like I'm supposed to do something that I haven't done...I don't know..."

Miriallia smiled. "I think you do." She reached up to smooth a patch of ragged blonde hair above his eyes. "And whatever it is...I think you should do it. Otherwise...you'll probably regret it later."

He put one arm behind her back and brought the other up to her neck. His breath was hot and musky as he spoke. "Would you be upset if I kissed you?"

She whispered against his lips, "I'd be upset if you didn't." Their lips met gently. It was a gentle kiss, more of a release than actual passion. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up against him. She stood on tip-toe, though her heels offered her some support. His arms stroked her back, holding her in an embrace.

They broke it eventually. She leaned up against her door and smiled. "See you tomorrow...at the show?"

He smiled back at her. "Yeah." They stared into each other's eyes until she disappeared into her room and shut the door with a soft click. Dearka stood facing her closed door for some time. He sighed and turned back towards the elevator. _You sly...son of a bitch_, he thought. _What...have you gotten yourself into...?

* * *

_

**AN:** Just some fluff I thought I owed these two for not updating in so long. Read and Review!


	14. Improvising

The band was waiting for the three trucks when they arrived, smog spewing from their exhausts. They had rented the three trucks at the airport to transport their equipment to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the last stop on the North American Tour, and more than likely one of the biggest. The Coliseum, located on the northern side of Los Angeles, California, was known around the world as the host of two summer Olympics and the home of the University of Southern California football team. However, on this day the Coliseum was devoid of any sports related activities and was being prepared solely for the concert the following evening. The entire north section of bleachers was cordoned off so the stage could be placed in front of them. The stage was one of the largest any in the group had ever seen, soaring to a height almost equal to that of the highest sections of the Coliseum, and stretched from almost one football sideline to the other. The rest of the Coliseum, including a good portion of the field, was being prepared for the massive flocks of fans that would swarm the facility tomorrow; a full house, which was practically guaranteed, would exceed 90,000. The band wasn't concerned however; they had played to larger crowds before.

The workmen at the Coliseum began to unload the trucks, but the five members of the band couldn't help themselves and had to lend a hand. They didn't want their equipment to be handled improperly.

That sentiment was reinforced when there was a crash at the rear of the center truck. "Hey, hey! Be careful with that!" Dearka shouted, his voice bouncing off of the interior of the truck. "I just replaced those heads!"

"I'm terribly sorry, sir," the workman apologized, bending over to pick up the crate that he had dropped which contained one of Dearka's snare drums.

"Here, let me take it," Dearka groaned. He squatted down and scooped up the crate in his arms, telling the man to go take something else. Dearka stepped gingerly off of the rear bumper of the truck and sighed. He glanced at Miriallia, who was taking notes in her notebook a short distance away. She saw him and smiled. "This is exactly why I _hate_ playing in California," he grumbled.

"Why?" Miriallia asked.

"Because, even if there's no earthquake, your stuff is almost always guaranteed to end up smashing onto the ground," he complained.

"Do you want any help?" she asked kindly.

"Ugh, yeah...could you help me with my bass drum?" he asked, setting the crate down amongst the others that had already been unloaded.

"Sure." She followed him back into the truck.

Behind another truck, Athrun was assisting the workmen who had the jolly task of unloading the band's amplifiers and speakers. Those were the heaviest pieces of equipment the band carried and it took two to three men to lift one of them. They finished bringing out the last amplifier and Athrun wiped the sweat from his brow. "Hey, Athrun," he heard Kira whisper from his right. He glanced at his friend who in turn nodded in the other direction opposite him. Athrun looked towards the middle truck where Dearka and Miriallia were just now slowly maneuvering his bass drum case through the back, or attempting to more or less.

"Yeah, so?"

"Do you get the impression that they're...a little closer than a journalist and her story?" Kira suggested.

"Impression?" Athrun remarked. "What impression?"

Kira chuckled. "So you're in agreement with me then?"

"Yeah. It's pretty obvious that those two have a thing for each other. I wouldn't be surprised if they've been having a little alone time behind our backs, either."

"Oh, you mean like you and Cagalli were on the last tour?"

"Hey, watch it!" Athrun responded smoothly.

"Athrun!" The blue-haired bassist glanced behind him to see Mwu approaching with a large case in his hands. "This just came for you. Special delivery."

"Oh great, thanks!"

Athrun took the case from Mwu who added, "I thought you only liked to play Fenders in the studio. Did one of the Thunderbirds, bust?"

"No, it's just that I get a better sound outside with the Fenders," Athrun responded. Inside the case was a brand new Fender Precision Bass that he had ordered. Normally Athrun played Gibson Thunderbirds live.

"Oh yeah? What's the difference?" Mwu asked.

"Well, you see the Gibson's tend to be louder and crank out more power, but their sound gets worse the further away you are from the amp. The Fender though while it's not as powerful, has a narrower sound that will travel farther and still maintain a good quality sound. For outdoor events like this, the Fenders are better for that reason."

"Oh, I gotcha." Mwu turned to Kira. "Did you order any special ones for this one, Kira?"

"No. PC-1's all the way for me," he answered.

"Good. I don't want to have to make any more of these deliveries. I have enough on my hands as is."

"The camera crews?" Athrun asked as he set down his new bass.

"Yeah. For some reason Los Angeles crews are a lot different than anywhere else."

"It's Hollywood, what do you expect?" Kira reminded him. "Nicol, is that it?" he yelled as he saw the last of the truck doors close with a clang.

"Yeah, that's everything!" Nicol called back. "We'll move it inside and we'll start our sound check in two hours!"

"Great!"

"Did you get the set-list picked out?" Mwu asked.

"Yes." Kira reached into the pocket of his flannel shirt and unfolded a piece of paper. "Standard line-up, _Rocket_ opener, followed by _Let's Get Rocked, Comin' Under Fire, _etcetera, etcetera. I want to hit the slower stuff in the middle, give Dearka and Nicol time for their solos, finish with _Armageddon It_, and then _if_ they want us to do an encore, we'll do _Rock of Ages._"

"Saving the best for last?" Mwu asked sarcastically.

"Hey, it's a damn good song, you've got to admit that," Kira responded. They'd played the controversial song at every concert on the North American Tour to get their point across that they weren't going to stop playing it and that the charges against them were unfounded. "I'm not about to stop playing it, just because some idiot says a kid torched a building because of it."

"It's a load of crap excuses, that's what it is," Athrun responded quietly. Kira nodded in agreement.

"Kira!"

"Yeah?" the band's front man shouted back to Yzak who was standing a good ten feet away.

"The promoter wants to talk to us in his office!"

"Now?"

"Now!"

"What does he want?"

"I don't know. He just said he wanted to see me and you," Yzak finished with a shrug.

Kira sighed. "Alright. Athrun, can you and Nicol set my guitar and amps up?"

"Yeah, sure. One and a half turns on the top right and two full turns on the middle left, right?"

"Right. I'll see you in a little bit. Thanks." Kira walked toward Yzak and the two guitarists began to make their way into the Coliseum.

The Coliseum was an old structure with stone supports and steel girders beneath the seats. Yzak and Kira were led by one of the ushers to an elevator deep inside the stadium and were taken up to the box suites. The promoter's office was located at the very top.

The promoter was an older man around fifty with graying black hair and a stubbly beard. He shook hands with Yzak and Kira as they entered and asked them how they were enjoying themselves in Los Angeles. "It's alright," Kira responded. "We've been here before and nothing's really different."

"Well...I'm afraid that's what I need to discuss with you now," the promoter said blankly.

"What's the problem?" Yzak asked.

The older man sighed. "I'm sure you're well aware of the animosity that has...flourished in some parts of the country as a result of the contents of one of yours songs..." he said uneasily. Both Kira and Yzak glanced sideways at each other. "As it turns out the governing body of the state of California is one of those areas..."

"So they don't want us to play it, so what?" Yzak said begrudgingly, rolling his eyes.

"Yzak," Kira warned his band mate. Yzak scowled.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple. I just received word from the capital. The government has decided...that should you decide to play the song at the concert tomorrow night...you will be banned from performing in the state of California for any of your future tours."

Yzak's scowl disappeared. He and Kira slowly turned their heads towards one another. Each had a grave expression on their face, both realizing what this could potentially mean. California was the most populated state in the union and the revenues generated from the band's performances here was enormous. If they were to lose the revenue from this place, their value in America would drop considerably. "Is that a definitive ruling?" Kira asked somberly.

The promoter nodded. "I'm afraid it is. I'm merely passing this information along to you. What you choose to do is entirely up to you. But if I may...the fans here will not be very happy if they find out that you deliberately took yourselves out of California by disobeying an order from the state government."

"We understand," Kira nodded.

They left the promoter's office without another word. "So I guess we're not playing it, huh?" Yzak said crossly.

"I guess not," Kira responded. He hoped that this wouldn't have a great effect on the concert the following night.

* * *

As it turned out, the California legislature's ruling was going to have an adverse effect on the concert. The crowd that night was easily over the 90,000 mark, with every available seat in the Coliseum filled. The fans screamed at the tops of their lungs throughout the show which stretched on for almost two hours. Cameras were positioned strategically around the stage and audience to get great shots of the band as they performed. 

As a whole, the band's performance was exceptional. The set-list went by so smoothly that Dearka and Nicol had to extend their solos for a few more minutes in order to satisfy the crowd. Songs that had been difficult all throughout the tour suddenly became easy. By the time the final chords on _Armageddon It_ were being played, when Kira and Yzak would face each other and rage wildly on their respective guitars, while Athrun, Nicol, and Dearka, thrashed behind them, the entire crowd was going insane and flash bulbs were popping from every corner of the Coliseum. Finally Yzak pivoted on his right foot and jumped into the air, striking one last, powerful chord as he landed, joined by his band mates for one final punch before the Coliseum was once again dropped into silence. Then the crowd exploded into applause.

"Thank you very much!" Kira shouted to the crowd as the band began to walk off of the stage. The lights dimmed behind them and as soon as he was out of sight, Kira's smile disappeared. None of the other band members were smiling either.

"Man, what are we gonna do?" Dearka wondered out loud. "They're not gonna be nice if we don't go out for an encore."

"But we already played everything, since we can't play _Rock of Ages_," Athrun pointed out. "We even played stuff we dropped at the start of the tour."

"But we've gotta do an encore, do you hear the crowd?" Nicol said.

"Well what the hell are we going to do?" Kira asked. "It's either we play the song and kiss California goodbye forever, or we don't play an encore and piss everybody off!"

"Don't worry about it," Yzak reassured his friends. "We've got one more."

"What?" both Athrun and Nicol asked at the same time.

"Do you still remember that riff I taught you guys?" Yzak asked.

"The one you wrote on the plane coming from England?" Kira responded. "...Yeah, kind of..."

"Good enough. We'll play that."

"But we've never even rehearsed it!" Dearka said.

"Do you hear the crowd, Dearka?" Yzak asked. His voice could barely be heard over the roar of the crowd behind them. "If we don't go back out there, there's going to be a riot!"

The rest of the band looked at each other doubtfully. "I wrote some lyrics for it, but I don't know how well it's going to work out..." Kira said.

"Just follow me and we'll be fine," Yzak reassured them. He looked at Dearka. "Here's the tempo. Do Do DA do-do! DA! Do Do DA do-do! DA! That speed all through it. You got it?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright. Everybody else, just make it sound good." They broke up after that and waited.

The crowd died down after a few minutes, some wondering whether or not the band would actually come out for an encore, which was regarded before the show as an afterthought. Bands always came out for encores, even if the crowd was dead. So why was it taking so long?

Finally, a thundering chord echoed throughout the Coliseum, courtesy of Yzak's Gibson SG. He followed with several different chords which pieced together into an improvised solo piece while the stage was still completely dark. A single spotlight then appeared on stage and Yzak was visible, his hands frittering around the guitar strings like ants across a sidewalk. The crowd erupted as Dearka clambered behind his drum kit, Nicol took his place behind his keyboard, and both Kira and Athrun appeared behind him with their guitars. Dearka tapped out four quick notes on his high-hat cymbal to set the tempo and Yzak then proceeded to launch into a riff that was a combination of both funk and hard rock rolled into one. Athrun and Kira joined underneath him in a support riff while Nicol and Dearka provided the thunder over them. After a few moments, Yzak moved to stand before his standing microphone and began to punctuate Dearka's snare punches with "Hoo's" and "Hey's". Athrun glanced at him for a moment and then followed Yzak's lead by singing the same thing into his own microphone. Yzak paused for a moment and then Kira began to sing as he moved to the front of the stage and the massive throng below him.

_Love is like a bomb, baby, c'mon get it on!_

_Livin' like a lover with a radar phone!_

_Lookin' like a tramp, like a video vamp_

_Demolition woman, can I be your man? (Your man!)_

_**Hey! Hoo! Hey!**_

_Razzle 'n' a dazzle 'n' a flash a little light_

_Television lover, baby, go all night!_

_Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet_

_Little miss innocent, sugar me! __**Yeah! Yeah!**_

The riff then changed as Yzak allowed Kira to take the lead, which Kira wasn't expecting. His hands flew across the strings of his guitar in an unorthodox manner, with Kira beginning to sweat slightly as he continued to sing the lyrics that he was now struggling to remember.

_C'mon! Take a bottle, shake it up!_

_Break the bubble! Break it up!_

_**Pour some sugar on me!**_

_In the name of love!_

_**Pour some sugar on me!**_

_C'mon, fire me up!_

_**Pour your sugar on me!**_

_Oh, I can't get enough!_

_I'm hot, sticky, and sweet, from my head to my feet, yeah!_

The riff then went back to the standard verse riff Yzak had begun with. Kira glanced in Yzak's direction and glared at him for leaving him out to dry during the chorus, but Yzak merely laughed as he continued playing. Behind him, Nicol pointed at Kira and also laughed when he noticed what had happened. Dearka and Athrun also couldn't help but smile as Kira began the second verse. The lights on the stage also changed from red to green.

_Listen! Red light, yellow light, green-a-light go! _

_Crazy little woman in a one man show!_

_Mirror queen, mannequin, rhythm of love_

_Sweet dream, saccharine, loosen up! (Loosen up!)_

_You've gotta squeeze a little, squeeze a little, tease a little more!_

_Easy operator come a knockin' on my door!_

_Sometime, anytime, sugar me sweet_

_Little miss innocent, sugar me! __**Yeah! Yeah!**_

_So c'mon! Take a bottle, shake it up!_

_Break the bubble! Break it up!_

_**Pour some sugar on me!**_

_In the name of love!_

_**Pour some sugar on me!**_

_C'mon, fire me up!_

_**Pour your sugar on me!**_

_Oh, I can't get enough!_

_I'm hot, sticky, and sweet, from my head to my..._

Kira shot a glance down at his lower body and then looked down at some screaming ladies in the front row. He smiled and shook his head. "Uh-uh!" he sang towards them before turning back and running over towards Yzak, who had just begun to solo. Evidently, Kira had forgiven Yzak for his hanging him out to dry and was now playing to the crowd as if they had been playing this song for years.

Yzak punctuated a series of simple chords in quick succession, before slamming one gigantic chord at the end of the phrase, which was emphasized by Nicol on keyboard and Dearka on the bass drum. He then repeated the process and even let Athrun have a small piece near the end of the solo with a quick three chord series that Athrun hammered out nicely.

_(You've got the peaches, I've got the cream!)_

_Sweet to taste! (Saccharine!)_

_'Cause I'm hot! (Hot!) Say what? Sticky sweet!_

_From my head! (Hey! Hey!) __**To my feet!**_

_Can you take the sugar? ONE LUMP OR TWO?!_

_(Take a bottle!) Take a bottle!_

_(Shake it up!) Shake it up!_

_(Break the bubble!) Break the bubble!_

_**BREAK IT UP!**_

_**Pour some sugar on me!**_

_In the name of love!_

_**Pour some sugar on me!**_

_C'mon, fire me up!_

_**Pour your sugar on me!**_

_OHHHHHHHH! Yeah!_

_**Pour some sugar on me!**_

_Come get it! Come get it!_

_**Pour your sugar on me!**_

_Yeah! Sugar me!_

The song then disintegrated into a series of three chords that all five members of the band punctuated together, ending in one final splash at the end, with Kira holding up an arm to signal the end of the song, ending the show in a picture perfect pose that many in the crowd took advantage of. "Thank you! Good night!" Kira shouted to the crowd as the band waved and began to head off stage for the final time. The crowd was buzzing all around them, louder than they had ever been during the night's events.

* * *

They could still hear the crowd when they arrived back at their dressing room deep inside the Coliseum. "Jesus, we've got to record that!" Nicol sighed as they entered to find Mwu, Miriallia, and other members of their entourage waiting for them.

"Did you see their reaction?" Kira echoed.

"They loved that more than they did _Armageddon It_! I can't believe that," Athrun added.

"What I can't believe is that Yzak left me out to dry there at the start of the chorus!" Kira shouted at his fellow guitarist, who raised his arms in self-defense while everyone else laughed loudly.

"Well, I wanted to give you an opportunity to play," was his response.

"Well tell me next time! I almost lost it right there!"

"The funny thing is, everybody could tell you did it, Yzak," Athrun laughed.

"Yeah, I'm sitting back there looking at Nicol and he's got the exact same expression on his face as I do!" Dearka put it. "He's like, 'Did he just do what I think he did?'"

"I think everybody was thinking that!" Athrun added. Everyone laughed cheerfully.

"Oh, geez...but yeah, we've seriously got to put that on vinyl," Nicol said after things had died down.

"Yeah, it came together really well," Kira added. "I can't believe that."

"If that crowd's reaction is a sign of things to come, that thing's going to be _huge_ when we put it down," Yzak said.

"We'd better get it down quick or we may lose the live feel to it, though," Athrun reminded them.

"We'll work on it as soon as we get back from our break," Kira said. "How long do we have off, Mwu?"

"Three weeks. Then we have four concerts in Orb and the Music Awards after that, but we'll have some time in between."

"We'll lay it down then," Kira decided.

Things broke up shortly after that, with Dearka ending up in his usual place after a show; standing beside Miriallia while they shared a drink. "That went really well for you guys out there," she told him. "You really never rehearsed that song before?"

"You've been with us the entire time," Dearka pointed out. "Did you ever once hear us play it?"

"No. That's why I was surprised it sounded so well."

"Well that's the thing," Dearka said. "Some of the best things in music..." He leaned close and kissed her gently on the cheek. She smiled. "...and life are improvised. Great things happen when you have absolutely no idea what you're doing."


	15. Home At Last

The international airport in the Orb Union's capital city was normally one of the busiest in the world. But at 3:00 A.M. in the morning, the terminals were surprisingly quiet, even for a transportation hub of this magnitude. Kira, Athrun, Dearka, and Miriallia walked through the international terminal in silence, lavishing in the opportunity to walk through a facility such as this and not be bombarded with fans and paparazzi.

Miriallia stifled a yawn as they walked. She was on Dearka's left and to his right were Athrun and Kira respectively, each with a duffel bag slung over their shoulder. "Do you always come into Orb at this hour in the morning?" she asked absent-mindedly, dropping her journalism charade for a moment.

Dearka couldn't hold back his own tired yawn. "Yeah…" he said sleepily. "This is our home…so we always have to fly in late to avoid the paparazzi."

"Doesn't sound like much fun at all."

"Believe me, it's not," he replied quietly.

The black night sky cascaded down upon them through the transparent windows that formed the roof of the terminal. The only other people in the terminal at this time were sleepy airline passengers just like them who were so tired that they wouldn't notice who the three of them were. "How much time do we have off again?" Dearka asked his band mates.

"Four weeks," Athrun answered. He yawned. "And I'm going to enjoy _every minute_ of it."

"Same here," Kira echoed.

"But I thought you guys liked touring," Miriallia said.

"We do," Kira answered. "But after…what has it been…ten months of non-stop touring? It wears on you a little bit. It's nice to know that you have some time off after all of that to recuperate."

"It also means we'll be able to spend some time with our families again," Athrun added. "I haven't seen Cagalli since the tour started."

"At least you'll get to spend most of your time with her," Kira pointed out. "Lacus is recording her new album, so she'll busy most of my break. I doubt we'll be able to see each other very often."

"That's too bad," Miriallia said.

"Don't worry about it. We're used to it." Kira's voice still had a pang of sadness about it.

Dearka yawned again. "So where did the other two stooges fly off to again?"

"Nicol went back to the PLANTs to see Krystal. He'll be back here next week," Athrun responded. "As for Yzak, he went to England. But for what reason, I have absolutely _no_ idea, and I also have no idea when he'll be back."

Dearka rolled his eyes. "Knowing Yzak, he won't be very long. I wonder what he went back there for anyway?"

"Maybe he saw a guitar he really liked and went back for it," Kira suggested.

"Ha! Yeah, that sounds like Yzak, alright," Dearka laughed.

* * *

Birds were singing outside of the kitchen window as Shiho finished depositing her finished breakfast dishes into the dishwasher. Her flat was not very extravagant; a simple living space with a master bedroom, bathroom, full kitchen, and living room which was enough for her small needs. As a policewoman, she made a modest income, enough to be able to afford this home and have enough leftover to save for her eventual retirement, even though that was a long way off. Her flat was located on a high pitch of land and she could overlook the Thames River from her kitchen window. The blue skies of mid-morning, coupled with the uninterrupted shine of the sun, were enough to light her house through its many windows that she didn't need to turn on the lights.

Today was Thursday, Shiho's day off. She usually worked Sunday through Wednesday mornings and afternoons and took an overnight shift on Friday nights into Saturday. This was her one day where she could be completely to herself and not worry about meager things like shoplifters and traffic violators, and she enjoyed it every time it came around.

Shiho started the dishwasher and washed her hands in the kitchen sink. She ran her fingers through her brown hair and gazed happily out the window at the Thames. Her coffee was ready a moment later and she inhaled the sweet scent of her brew. She was planning to enjoy her morning coffee and catch up on the latest news before going for a walk this afternoon.

She wasn't expecting her doorbell to chime just as she exited the kitchen with her still steaming mug. Shiho sighed. _Probably one of the trainees messed up another ticket quota,_ she told herself sadly. The bell sounded impatiently again as she entered the corridor after the front door. "Alright, alright! I'm here!" Shiho shouted angrily. She unlocked the door in a huff and literally threw it open. "Whatever it is-!"

Her mug slipped from her grasp and shattered at her feet. Shiho's eyes widened and her mouth went aghast when she saw him standing there. "Y-Y-Yzak…?" she stammered.

Yzak stood with his arms behind his back and an unsure look on his face. "Hello, Shiho…" he said quietly.

"W-what are you…doing here…?" she asked, her voice in a whisper.

Yzak rolled his eyes. _Well, you're here Yzak. You can't turn back now. Just don't say anything stupid._ He brought his arms out behind his back and extended a bouquet of red roses toward her. "I came back to visit…like I promised," he said. She stared down at the flowers and then looked up at him. Taking the bouquet into her arms, Shiho was still shocked to see him. "I know…I was away for too long. I'm sorry." She frowned and narrowed her eyes as she looked back up at him. _Aw damn it! What the hell did I say wrong?_ Yzak asked himself.

"It's been five months!" she said in an angry tone. Yzak braced himself.

She threw her arms around him and Yzak felt her press her lips to his forcefully as he groaned inside of his throat. He took a step backwards and nearly tumbled down the stairs behind him, but he managed to brace himself against the railing on the side of the stairs. He still didn't quite know what had just happened, but he found himself tightening his own hold onto Shiho and holding her slender body close to his.

She separated her lips from his and ended the kiss suddenly. With her free hand, Shiho took his and started to pull him towards the doorway. "W-wait!" Yzak cried, stumbling over his words. She glanced at him impatiently. "Where the hell did _that_ come from…?"

Shiho rolled her eyes. "Just get inside, you idiot!"

"Whoa!" Yzak yelled as she forcefully yanked him inside the flat.

The next minutes were a blur to Yzak. His head seemed to be spinning and his mind had a hard time focusing on what he was doing. Once he was through the doorway, the next thing he knew he was lying in bed with Shiho. He was naked, and his hands were working feverishly to get her out of her clothes. What followed was a sea of heat, sweat, and passion that blocked every other sense of reality that Yzak had. He felt her nails dig into his back. Her body squirmed in his arms. She cried out his name. By the time it was over, Yzak could barely tell where he was.

Slowly his senses returned to him. He was lying on his back, Shiho lying on top of him, eyes closed, with her head pressed gently against his shoulder. His hand stroked the smooth skin of her back and he could feel her slow breathing against his chest. Yzak had once pledged that he would never fall in love. He had often proclaimed that romance was something that did not interest him. _So much for that theory_, he told himself.

Shiho blinked open her eyes and smiled. She crawled slowly towards him to bring her lips level with his and kissed him. "I missed you," she whispered. He could feel her breath against his lips.

"I missed _you_," he responded, returning her kiss. Her lips were so soft. He brushed against her cheek with his finger tips. "So where did _that_ come from?" he asked.

She giggled. "I have no clue."

He smiled. "That's good." He kissed her again.

She sighed against him as she stroked a lock of his silver hair. "Oh, Yzak…and I thought you said you would never love anyone. When did that sentiment get thrown away?"

She giggled again as Yzak rolled over and their positions in bed flopped. He gnawed at her jaw bone, eliciting a pleasureful moan from her throat. "The minute I met _you_," he purred.

Shiho smiled. "So you really _do_ care about me!"

Yzak kissed her neck. "Of course. I care for you more than anything else in the world right now. That old saying I used to have doesn't even register in my mind anymore."

"Oh, Yzak…" He moved lower on her body and placed kisses along her belly, causing her to giggle. "You say you never handled a woman before…but it sure doesn't seem like it."

"Handling a woman is kind of like handling a guitar," Yzak responded. "You have to know what buttons to push if you want to make them sing," he added coyly.

They stayed in each others arms for the rest of the afternoon. "Shiho…" he whispered after some time.

"Hmm?"

"I'm going to have to go away again, soon."

"I know."

He looked into her eyes and was mesmerized by their immense beauty. "Are you okay with that? With me being on the road all this time…can it still work…with us?"

She touched his face. "We'll _make_ it work. Yzak…I love you! Nothing will change that."

He smiled. For the first time in quite a long time, Yzak heart was full. "Thank you." He kissed her again.

* * *

Nicol sat with his hands over his face, trying to get the cob-webs out of his head after a long night of sleep. He had returned the night before. Krystal had been waiting for him to arrive. It felt so good to be with her again. Nicol hadn't seen her in months. The first thing he did was take her into his arms and hold her for an extended period of time. The wedding wasn't that far off, it seemed to be getting closer every second. Nicol looked forward to when the day would be here.

He sat in front of his piano, position in the center of his living room. Music was Nicol's life; when he wasn't on the road or in the studio with the band, he would often find himself at home, hard at work at his piano, writing and playing any music that came to mind. It had been that way all his life, from the first moment his mother introduced him to the piano when he was six. He had been infatuated with the instrument ever since. On this particular morning, Nicol was attempting to put the finishing touches on a composition that he had been writing for some time. He stretched his neck out from left to right and extended his fingers towards the keys in front of him. He played several notes, trying to find the key that he was looking for. He scribbled something down with a pencil in his composition booklet in front of him. Nicol then closed his eyes and leaned back away from the piano again, retreating back into the confines of his twenty-three year-old mind. The notes were there, but for some reason the atmosphere just wasn't right. Something was missing.

He heard and felt something stir in front of him. He opened his eyes slowly; through the barely open slits he could see a figure that had appeared in front of him. She was lying on the top of his piano, her beautiful face balanced on one of her slender hands. Her red hair was sparkling from a recent shower and her eyes sank deep into his heart as they stared through his from behind her glasses. Nicol smiled. "Whatcha, doin'?" he inquired innocently.

"Nothin'," Krystal remarked in an equally innocent manner. "Just watching you, that's all."

Nicol shut his eyes. "It would seem that we find ourselves in the same predicament then," he quipped. He heard her laugh; he liked it when she laughed. He leaned forward and rested his arms on the piano just in front of her, his head in turn resting on top of them. He looked deeply into her eyes and said, "I hope I didn't make you feel lonely while I was gone."

She didn't stop smiling. "It's okay. I know you're busy. I was too, so don't feel bad." She stroked his green hair. "And you had your friends with you. I know they'll take care of you while you're away."

He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Thank you, Krystal." He kissed her hand gently.

"What is it?" she asked, after he did not stop staring at her for quite some time.

Nicol shrugged. "I don't know. I guess…I just can't wait for the wedding."

She smiled. "Me neither. It's coming so quickly, isn't it?"

"Yeah." An idea came to Nicol. "Can I play you something?"

"Of course. I love to hear you play, Nicol," Krystal answered. "What's the occasion?"

"Lacus wanted me to play something for her new record. I'm going back to Orb in a few days to record it. I want to see what you think."

"So that's what you've been working on in your spare time then, hm?"

"Uh-huh. But I haven't had much time since I've been home. I've been…taking care of other matters that demanded my concern."

Krystal smiled. "Like last night?"

"Mm-hmm. Didn't have much time to work on it last night."

"That's because you weren't concerned with your music then; you were concerned with _me_."

Nicol smiled. "Well, I do have priorities to take care of." Krystal laughed.

Nicol opened his booklet and brought his fingers into the correct position over the piano keys. He closed his eyes and within a few seconds, his fingers were dancing slowly and majestically across the white and black keys, piping out a wonderfully tuned piece of music. The chords seemed to dance in mid-air as they descended in a slow line over and over again. Nicol opened his eyes to look at Krystal to see what she thought. She was smiling, her head bobbing back and forth slowly. Nicol smiled. That was the reaction he had been hoping for. Now he knew he had gotten the music right.

It was three days later when Nicol was in the recording studio in Orb, playing the exact same melody on an equally grand piano. Lacus Clyne stood a few feet away from him, a set of black head-phones over her ears, a microphone in front of her, her body surrounded by two tall black quad-boxes to separate the sound of her voice from the piano. Nicol continued playing while he heard Lacus start to sing the lyrics she had written.

_When the lights go down_

_He'll be fillin' a pan with a broom in his hand_

_In some dive across town_

_He'll be wipin' the bar and mopping the floor_

_Countin' his tips and locking the doors_

_Wrestlin' with the devil that tells him to pour another round_

_When the lights go down_

_She'll be callin' her friends from a Mercedes-Benz_

_But it's too late now_

_They were there for the fame, the flash, and the thrill_

_The drop of the name, the parties, the pills_

_Another star falls from the Hollywood Hills _

_Without a sound_

Lacus brought the recorded tape back home with her the following day where Kira was waiting. He listened to his wife's voice sing the passionate words that composed the heart-wrenching song. "Wow…" he breathed, Lacus sitting right next to him on their sofa. "That's wonderful, Lacus."

"Thank you, Kira," she said quietly. They listened to the rest of the song in silence.

_When the lights go down_

_And there's nothing left to be_

_When the lights go down_

_And the truth is all you see_

_When you feel that hole inside your soul_

_And wonder what you're made of well, we all find out_

_When the lights go down_

Murrue had also brought a copy of the recording home with her. That very same evening, she stood in the kitchen of her home, looking out the window into the yard where her husband was playing with their daughters. He had been gone for so long; she did not realize how glad she was to have him home until he arrived. Their daughters literally jumped into his arms when he arrived at the front door and as far as she was concerned, he had not spent a moment away from them since.

Mwu had Jenny on his shoulders as he pranced around the yard with Amy in hot pursuit. "That's not fair, daddy! I can't reach Jenny when she's on your shoulders!"

"You just can't jump that hi!" Jenny responded in her three-year old voice.

"Come on daddy!" Amy yelled again after a few more minutes of chasing Mwu around.

Mwu smiled. "Ow, ow!" he cried out, suddenly stopping and acting as if he was hurt.

"Gotcha!" Amy jumped up and managed to tag Jenny who then climbed into Mwu's arms and pushed him down onto the ground.

"Aw, daddy! You let Amy tag me!" The rest of the argument was lost in a long cascade of laughter.

_When the lights go down_

_At the end of the day_

_With this game that I play_

_Has gone another round_

_As I lay there alone in this big empty bed_

_Nothing but thoughts of you in my head_

_I think of the things I wished I had said when you were still around_

That very same evening, Athrun and Cagalli had managed to sneak away from the high-profile lives that both of them lived, she as the Orb Union Princess, and he as the world-renowned musician, and had made their way to the small lake near their home. Renting a small paddle-boat, they had journeyed out onto the crystal blue lake to watch the golden sun set behind the western horizon.

Cagalli's head was laid gently on his shoulder and Athrun had his arm tightly wrapped around her shoulders. "Do you know…?' Cagalli asked out of the blue.

Athrun glanced out of the corner of his eye at her. "Do I know what?"

She smiled up at him. "Do you know how happy I am to be married to you?"

Athrun smiled and glanced back at the sun. "Yeah…I think I do." He kissed her as the sun disappeared ahead of them.

_When the lights go down_

_And there's nothing left to be_

_When the lights go down_

_And the truth is all you see_

_And I wonder if all my life's about the sum of all of my fears and all my doubts_

_Yeah, when the lights go down

* * *

_

Some days later, Athrun was awoken early in the morning by the persistent annoying chime of his cell-phone. Slowly drifting out of slumber, Athrun rose up from the bed he shared with Cagalli and struggled through the early morning light to find his phone and shut off that annoying tone.

He finally managed to grab hold of the object and angrily silenced it. "Hello…?" he grumbled as he brought the device to his ear.

"Turn on Channel 5."

"What?"

"Just do it."

"Kira…?" Athrun thought he recognized his brother-in-law's voice, but he was still tired. He dejectedly made his way to the living room where the television was. Locating the remote he said to Kira, "And I'm looking for _what_?"

"You'll see. But you probably won't believe it."

Athrun turned the television on and squinted his eyes at the screen. Finally, when he was able to get a somewhat clear picture of what was in front of him, his eyes widened in surprise. It was a news report. The announcer began to speak with a picture of four casually dressed individuals behind him.

"Now they haven't played together for nearly twenty years, but now Arthur Trine, Ledonir Kisaka, Andrew Waltfeld, and Frederick Ades are returning…as _Fome Lokkomotive._ Yes, they're getting together for a one-off concert at the Orb Music Awards in six weeks time, general admission tickets are expected to sell for over $100 each, but the demand is still expected to be extraordinary."

As the report continued, an old film reel of _Fome Lokkomotive_, once considered the pinnacle of rock bands around the world, played in the background. Arthur Trine the vocalist was belting out his trademark high-pitched wail while Ledonir Kisaka sounded off on guitar beside him. In the back were the ground-shaking thumping of Andrew Waltfeld on bass guitar, and the earth-shattering pounding of Frederick Ades on drums. Andy looked nothing like he did now. His hair was longer and he was skinnier, with less muscle. That was how old the footage was.

"They've sold over 200 million albums, their sound has influenced thousands of bands, and now…despite saying they wouldn't…they're re-forming…for _one night_. The reason; to honor the former Chairman of Pacific Records who passed away earlier this year and signed the band to their first record deal thirty-one years ago."

Athrun didn't listen to the rest of the report. He had already heard everything he needed to. "No…freakin'…way…!" was his response.

"I know. I couldn't believe it either," Kira echoed.

"This is gonna be huge," Athrun said. "What made them do it I wonder?"

"We'll see Andy in a few days. We'll be able to berate him about it then." Athrun smiled. He would definitely look forward to that.

* * *

**AN: **_When the Lights Go Down _is a song performed by Faith Hill for Warner Brothers Records. I do not own the rights to the song nor am I affiliated with Warner Brothers.


	16. Awards Ceremony

Okay…left over right…back over again…through the top…back down through the bottom…? No that's not it! Dearka frowned as he gazed at himself in the mirror his hotel room in Orb's capital city. He quickly suspended his current project and went back to work again from square one. _Left over right…back over again…through the bottom…up through the top…ugh, damn it! That's not it either!_ Dearka stopped the project again. He had been at work for at least five minutes on this thing, but he hadn't gotten it right yet. It was something so trivial that Dearka couldn't believe he was struggling with it. He tried again and again, but he couldn't get it done right. 

"Aww, damn it, come on!" he yelled out loud as he slammed his hands down on the hotel sink in front of him. He looked down at the sink and exhaled painfully several times.

He heard a quiet giggle from his right. "Come on, can't you put it on properly?" Miriallia chastised him innocently. She entered the bathroom, dressed in a black skirted business suit, and placed her hands on her hips.

Dearka sighed. "If I say no, does that mean you'll laugh at me?" Miriallia did laugh; Dearka hung his head.

"Here, let me help you." She stepped in front of him and took hold of both ends of his black neck-tie, which he had been attempting to tie all this time. He was dressed in a black suit and coat, and a white shirt, which was the uniform the band had chosen for the Orb Music Awards that evening. Dearka held still and watched Miriallia almost absent-mindedly work the neck-tie around and around until it was secure in its place around his neck.

Dearka's mouth dropped slightly. "How did you…?"

"I've had practice. Trust me," she responded. She pulled on the narrower end of the tie and tightened it around his neck. "All done."

He smiled. "What would I do without you?"

"Obviously, not be able to tie a tie," Miriallia laughed.

Dearka gathered up his belongings and closed his hotel room door behind him. Athrun and Yzak were waiting for him in the hallway beyond. "'Bout time, Dearka," Yzak chided him. "We thought you were going to make us late."

"Well, sorry! Not my fault you guys decided to wears ties tonight."

"You still haven't learned how to tie one properly?" Athrun asked incredulously as they began to make their way towards the elevator. "Geez."

"Oh, you should talk, Athrun! The only reason you say that is because Cagalli ties your ties for you!" Dearka responded.

"What's wrong with that? At least I have somehow that _can_ do it," Athrun laughed.

Their limousine was waiting for them outside the hotel lobby when they arrived. Cagalli was there as well, wearing a sparkling red dress and she had her blond hair tied up. Athrun took her into his arms immediately upon stepping outside. "Evening, beautiful," he whispered to her.

"Hello, handsome," she responded. They kissed shortly and sweetly. "You ready to perform?"

"Uh-huh. Let's go."

Yzak, Dearka, and Miriallia were already inside the open limousine and Athrun and Cagalli followed. The hotel doorman closed the door behind them and they were off shortly thereafter. Yzak sat alone in the back seat, while Athrun and Cagalli sat opposite Dearka and Miriallia in front of him. "So where are Kira and Nicol?" Miriallia asked.

"Kira's going to arrive with Lacus because they're technically the music industry's king and queen at this point," Athrun said dryly, "and Nicol went to the auditorium early to help with the sound checks. We seriously owe him for that."

"Yeah," Yzak agreed.

"We're one of the last performances scheduled, so we'll be on later on in the evening," Athrun continued. "I heard that Lacus is performing first, so we'll get to see her at least."

"And then of course, _Fome Lokkomotive_ is the closing act," Dearka added.

"Right. In between there's the award presentations and there's about seven or eight other bands and artists performing on stage, so it's a pretty full evening ahead."

The limousine continued through the downtown district, passing expensive restaurants and stores with gigantic window displays. "So how do you three like being home after all that touring you did?" Miriallia asked.

"Oh, it's great," Athrun answered quickly. "It's nice to have some time to unwind after all that mayhem of the tour. Don't get us wrong, we love touring and playing to fans all around the world and such, but after about four or five months it starts to grow on you. You end up playing the same songs day in and day out. Reporters in each town ask you the same questions over and over. It wears on your after a while."

"When we get back here, we have time to do stuff we normally wouldn't," Dearka elaborated. "You see, when we're working, we're either on tour or in the studio all day. We barely have any time off in between, so when we do get time off like we do now, we try to take advantage of it as much as we can."

"I understand. So this is like your summer vacation then?"

"Exactly."

As they neared the auditorium where the awards would be held, the presence of the fans and media grow more and more intense. "Geez, I never knew there was this much buzz over an awards ceremony," Miriallia commented.

"That? Nah! That's all for _Fome Lokkomotive_," Yzak said, brushing it aside.

"Yeah. Usually these awards draw about a 20,000 demand for 5,000 general admission tickets. But because a band like _Fome Lokkomotive_ comes back for only one night, that's why you get the demands of 80,000 or 100,000 even," Athrun continued.

"I'm still having a hard time believing that they got back together," Dearka admitted. "Didn't Andy tell us at one point that it would be miracle if all four of them were on the same stage again?"

"Yeah, he did."

"I had a chance to talk with him a few days ago about that," Miriallia said. "He said the main reason they decided to do it was to pay tribute to the man that gave them their first contract, the Chairman of Pacific Records. He said that they each felt they owed him and their fans that much after being apart for over twenty years."

"Did he say whether or not they would perform any other shows?" Dearka asked.

"No," Miriallia shook her head. "He said that this was a one-off performance. You can understand that because both Arthur and Kisaka have solo careers and Ades is still technically retired from the music business."

"That's why demand was so high," Athrun concluded.

A block away from the auditorium, traffic slowed to a crawl, with a long line of limousines waiting to drop of passengers at the entrance. "How far is it to the auditorium?" Miriallia asked the driver.

"About three blocks, ma'am."

"Can you drop me off here? I'll get out and walk the rest of the way."

"Are you sure, Miriallia?" Dearka asked her. "We'd be more than happy to drop you off at the entrance with us."

"I know. But you're going to be dropped off in the middle of a circus. I don't want to take anything away from you then. I'll get out and blend in with the crowd before I get there so I'm not a distraction."

Dearka shrugged. "Okay, if that's how you want it." Their limousine stopped and Miriallia opened the door next to the sidewalk. She stepped around Dearka as she exited and he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Be careful," he told her.

"I will. I'll see you later." She clambered out of the limousine and shut the door behind her. Dearka watched her go through the tinted windows and sighed. He glanced at Yzak, who was grinning slyly at him.

"What?"

"Nothing," Yzak responded quietly.

Dearka sighed. "Shut up, Yzak."

The limousine arrived at the drop-off point about fifteen minutes later. Yzak and Dearka disembarked first, amidst a sea of camera flashes which only intensified when Athrun stepped out, Cagalli on his arm. While Yzak and Dearka merely waltzed into the auditorium without a fuss, both Athrun and Cagalli were swamped by media and tabloid personnel, snapping pictures after every step they took. They kept smiles on their faces all the way into the theater and only dropped them once they were safely behind the closed door. "Do your eyes hurt, or is it just me?" Cagalli wondered out loud. Athrun laughed.

* * *

The awards ceremony went on without a hitch later that night. Powerful people from the music industry, artists, record company officials, producers, management, all flocked to the auditorium to watch the prestigious awards be handed out. _Iron Fist_ had been nominated for five awards, including Album of the Year, Group of the Year, and the big one, Performers of the Year, which included every single music industry star.

They took their first award for album of the year, which they had asked Natarle to accept for them, because they, plus Andy, were getting ready for performances later on in the evening, and she had done so much to put their sound together cohesively over the years, and she had reluctantly agreed, walking out on stage and taking the award in her hands. She thanked a few people and then just as quickly left the stage, to the surprise of few. This was their first win for Album of the Year.

While they didn't win for Group of the Year, _Next Generation_ did, which didn't make them feel too badly since they had seen first hand just how good that band was on their North American Tour. Andy finally got to take his journey onstage when he was awarded the Producer of Year, for producing both _Rocket_ and _Coaltown_'s debut self-titled album, both of which had gone multi-platinum in many countries. "I only wish every group I've worked with was as fun to work with as these guys are," was his acceptance quote.

After Lacus had deservedly won the Female Artist of the Year award, she waltzed gracefully off stage and met Kira who embraced her. He had his guitar on as their performance was up next. "Congratulations," he whispered to her.

"Thank you. Good luck out there," she whispered back and kissed him.

The show's host, Meyrin Hawke, was onstage now. "And now ladies and gentlemen, I think you all know who's up next. This group needs no introduction as they will do so themselves. Ladies and gentlemen, performing their smash hit, _Armageddon It, _please welcome, _Iron Fist_!" The audience erupted in applause.

Three strong guitar chords rang out suddenly, followed by a single punched chord from Yzak's blue, white, and gray Gibson SG. He repeated the phrase and on the second punch, was joined in by Dearka on the snare drum and Nicol on keyboard. The band then appeared onstage all around Yzak, dressed in matching black suits and ties for the occasion. Yzak, now joined by Kira on rhythm guitar, kept up the opening riff for several moments as the song settled down and Kira began to sing after a pretty guitar chord was chimed out by Yzak.

_Ya better come inside when you're ready to_

_But no chance if ya don't wanna dance_

_You like four letter words when you're ready to_

_But you won't 'cos you know that you can_

_You got it! But are you gettin' it?_

_You say that love is won when you get some_

_But then your finger won't trigger the gun_

At this point, Kira was on center-stage, with Yzak off to his right and Athrun behind and to his left. Athrun had already moved to his standing microphone while Yzak was now making his way over to his.

_You know you can't (stop it!)_

_So don't (rock it!)_

_You know you (got it!)_

_Yeah! But are you gettin' it?_

_A really gettin' it?_

_Oh! Come get it from me!_

_**Gimme all of your lovin' **__– Every little bit_

_**Gimme all that you got**__ – Every bit of it_

_**Every bit of your lovin'**__ – Oh, c'mon live a bit_

_**Never want it to stop!**_

_Yeah, but are you gettin' it? __**Armageddon It!  
**_

_Yeah, really gettin' it? __**Yes, Armageddon It!**_

_C'mon, kick it!_

As soon as the first chorus concluded, Yzak went back into the main riff with Kira and Athrun underneath him. Dearka kept the tempo down with a precise drum rhythm and Nicol finished off the song by providing a rocking atmosphere so to speak on his keyboard. Kira started the second verse shortly thereafter and by this time, the entire audience was rocking.

_You try comin' on when you need some_

_But then you don't 'cos you already did_

_Yeah, you jangle your jewels, while you're shakin' ya_

_And drive the pretty boys out of their heads_

_You got it But are you gettin' it?_

_You flash your bedroom eyes like a jumping jack_

_Then play it pretty with a pat on the back_

_You know you, ya can't (stop it!)_

_So don't (rock it!)_

_You know you (got it!)_

_Yeah! But are you gettin' it?_

_A really gettin' it?_

_Oh, come get it from me!_

_**Gimme' all of your lovin'**__ – Every little bit_

_**Gimme' all that you got**__ – Every bit of it_

_**Every bit of your lovin' **__– oh, c'mon live a bit_

_**Never want it to stop!**_

_Yeah! But are you gettin' it? __**Armageddon It!**_

_A really gettin' it? __**Yes, Armageddon It!**_

_C'mon, boys, kick it!_

At Kira's signal, Yzak punched out a succession of powerful guitar chords, followed by a drum smash by Dearka, and a collusion guitar part with Kira who joined Yzak on the right side of the stage. Yzak then went into the solo that had made him world renown for his guitar prowess. It wasn't a hard-edged solo, but it was smooth and precise, which not many guitarists could pull off. The notes sounded so clean and neat that many people would not believe that it was coming from a guitar if they hadn't seen it live. Yzak finished off the solo with a high bridged part that ended with him playing to the audience as his fingers danced across the strings of his guitar. At the conclusion of the solo, and when the audience was giving Yzak the applause he deserved, both Kira and Athrun picked up the vocals again.

_(Take it, take it, take it from me!)_

_I got an itchy finger following me_

_(Pull it, pull it, c'mon trigger the gun!)_

'_Cause the best is yet to come, I say_

'_**Cause the best is yet to come!**_

_But are you gettin' it? A really gettin' it?_

_Yes, are you gettin' it? A really gettin' it?_

_Oh, come get it from me!_

_**Gimme' all of your lovin'**__ – Every little bit_

_**Gimme' all that you got**__ – Every bit of it_

_**Every bit of your lovin'**__ – Oh come on live a bit_

_**Never want it to stop**__ – Oh, are you gettin' it?_

_**Gimme' all of your lovin'**__ – Ooh really gettin' it?_

_**Gimme' all that you got**__ – Oh are you getting it?_

_**Gimme' all of your lovin'**__ – Oh live a bit!_

_**Gimme' all that you got!**__ Yeah!_

Yzak, Athrun, and Dearka then proceeded to lash out with several powerful chords and drum pounds as the song neared its conclusion. It finally reached the end when Yzak struck a powerful chord and held it out, enticing a thunderous standing ovation from the audience. Yzak held the chord long enough for the band to hear the applause at its peak and then immediately silenced it with a powerful strike. The applause filled the theater and continued for several moments as the band took their bows and proceeded off the stage.

Barely a few minutes had passed after the performance, hardly enough time for them to get their instruments off and cool down when they heard Meyrin back onstage, announcing the nominees for Performer of the Year, which included themselves and many other top music artists. "And the award goes to…" Meyrin tried to sound surprised. _"Iron Fist!_"

The quintet proceeded on stage amidst another round of applause. Kira gave Meyrin his usual friendly hug and immediately gave the award to his band mates. "Uh…while my friends admire the trophy…" Everyone in the audience laughed because the other four members of the band seemed to be more interested in the award itself than anything else. Athrun quickly gave Kira a smug look and Kira shook his head gleefully. "Uh…we'd like to thank everyone that's helped us to get to this point…our families, our friends…Andy and Natarle our studio team, Mwu our manager who goes through so much shit for us…and of course the fans. Without them, we probably wouldn't be doing this now, we thank every single one of them…we love every one of you…and if I missed anyone I'm sorry, but a big thanks to all of you from every one of us. Thank you!" The band then started to walk off stage, but Kira stopped himself and went back to the podium. "And now we're going to go in the back and watch the _real_ show!" The audience roared.

* * *

About ten minutes passed after they left the stage. Kira had taken off his jacket and sat beside Lacus on a crate backstage. Lacus had worn a beautiful lavender dress for the evening and it seemed that when she took a step, it was like watching the clouds roll across the sky. Kira made sure he told her he liked it.

Athrun arrived in short order. Kira tossed him a beer can and Athrun took a seat on the other side of Lacus. "Where's Cagalli?" Lacus asked him.

"She's up in one of the suites with my parents," Athrun told her.

"So Mama and Papa Zala made the trip?" Kira inquired.

"Uh-huh. I told them that it was going to be a mess, but they wouldn't listen." Athrun took a sip of his beverage and flicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. The stage in front of them was completely dark. "So when will we know if they're as good as they were?" he asked no one in particular.

_Hey, Hey, Mama said the way you move_

_Gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove!_

The high pitched wail sounded throughout the auditorium and generated a loud stream of applause. Kira, Lacus, and Athrun all smiled. "I think that answers that question, don't you?" Lacus remarked. Kira and Athrun nodded in agreement.

The lights on the stage suddenly came on and for the first time in twenty years, the band that was credited with pioneering the sound of modern rock was back. Arthur Trine, still tall and skinny, but now with a scruffy beard and some wrinkles, stood at the front of the stage, both hands clutching the standing microphone as he belted his high-pitched wail into it. Behind him, Ledonir Kisaka, his long hair now frosted with gray, holding his customary rusty brown Gibson Les Paul guitar, stood beside Andy, utilizing a MusicMan Stingray Bass guitar, and pounded out a bluesy guitar tandem riff that literally shook the auditorium, but that was in large part due to the final member of _Fome Lokkomotive_, Frederick Ades, not having forgotten his hit-everything-as-hard-as-you-can mentality on drums. The sound the quartet put out was reminiscent of their glory days; it was as if they hadn't lost a beat.

Arthur wailed at the top of his lungs while the others pounded out the music in between his two line verses.

_Oh, oh, child, way you shake that thing_

_Gonna make you burn, gonna make you sting!_

_Hey, hey, baby, when you walk that way_

_Watch your honey drip, can't keep away._

By this time, every single person that had managed to get a general admission ticket was on their feet cheering. Arthur played to the crowd in front of him like no other; he was the inspiration for many front men that followed. While Kisaka, Andy, and Ades thundered behind him along behind him with the bluesy rhythm, Arthur wandered up to the front of the stage and leaned down towards the women that had gathered there.

_Ah yeah! Ah yeah! Ah, Ah, Ah! _

_Ah yeah! Ah yeah! Ah, Ah, Ah!_

_I gotta roll, can't stand still_

_Got a flame in my heart, can't get my fill!_

_Eyes that shine burning red_

_Dreams of you all thru my head!_

Arthur then did something that he alone was known for. His lyrics had always been laced with sexual zeal, and these were some of his simplest and yet most appealing. He moaned twice and then the audience would echo his sentiments when he, after taking the microphone off of the stand, would point it towards the audience.

_Ah, Ah! (Ah, Ah!) Ah, Ah! (Ah, Ah!) Oh, Oh! (Oh, Oh!) Ahhhhhhhhhh!_

_Hey baby, oh baby, pretty baby_

_Tell me what you do me now._

_Hey baby, oh, baby, pretty baby_

_Tell me what you do me now._

_Didn't take long fore I found out_

_What people mean my down and out!_

_Spent my money, took my car_

_Started tellin' her friends she wants to be a star!_

_I don't know what I been told_

_A big legged woman ain't got no soul!_

Kisaka, Andy, and Ades played like they had been together forever. Their instruments coexisted so well together with a glossy sound that made it seem as it was a recording, but it wasn't. It was live and in person. Kisaka was especially grandeur, his guitar singing like a mockingbird on a clear blue morning, but in an increasingly sexual way which was how the song _Black Dog_ was structured. It was one of the band's most suggestive songs, one that had gotten them in quite a lot of trouble when they'd first released it, but one that had become the epicenter of their legacy.

_Ah, Ah! (Ah, Ah!) Ah, Ah! (Ah, Ah!) Oh, Oh! (Oh, Oh!) Ahhhhhhhhh!_

Arthur suddenly held out his screech longer than had been anticipated. This caused the audience to slowly build into a roaring applause as he belted his lungs out. Behind him, Andy glanced over at Kisaka and smiled his trademark smile that Athrun and Kira had seen many times over the course of their relationship with him. He then tapped the strings on his bass guitar, eliciting a murderous rampage of low chords that splattered all around the auditorium. After a few moments, Kisaka joined in and added a higher pitched round of chords to the roaring locomotive of sound. Arthur at last stopped his wail and took a well-deserved breath. He glanced back at his band mates and clapped his hands. He then turned back to the audience and wailed a different set of lyrics.

_You need coolin', baby, I'm not foolin'_

_I'm gonna send you back to schoolin'_

_Way down inside honey, you need it_

_I'm gonna give you my love_

_I'm gonna give you my LOVE!_

Finally, with great audacity, Ades joined in to form the core of another of the group's most well-regarded songs, _Whole Lotta Love_.

_Wanna whole lotta love?_

_Wanna whole lotta love?_

_Wanna whole lotta love?_

_Wanna whole lotta love?_

By this time, the band looked like their old selves. Ades was flailing around on the drum-set in the rear, his arms moving so quickly that it seemed as if he had an extra set to go along with the two he already had. Andy remained in the background while Arthur and Kisaka took center stage.

_You been learnin', baby, I been learnin'_

_All them good times, baby, baby, I've been yearnin'_

_Way, way down inside honey, you need it_

_I'm gonna give you my love_

_I'm gonna give you my LOVE!_

_Oh! Whole lotta love!_

_Wanna whole lotta love?_

_Wanna whole lotta love?_

_  
Wanna whole lotta love?_

At this point, Arthur and Kisaka both went opposite directions on stage, leaving the audience with a clear view of Ades and his massive set of drums. With a cocky grin on his face, the so-called retired drummer went into an extended solo in which he incorporated literally every piece of his kit: snare, bass, tenor, high-hat, standing cymbal, tympani, cowbell, even a gong! He did it with a flair that few drummers could top. It all looked so easy to him, even after twenty years.

Attention then focused to Kisaka, who was standing nonchalantly off to the side. He suddenly realized the entire audience was staring at him, goading him on to do something. He pointed at himself, and then glanced over at Arthur, who laughed. Kisaka shrugged. He waltzed exaggeratedly over towards one of the band's amplifiers and took something off of the top. The audience screamed loudly when they saw the cello bow. Kisaka put the bow to his guitar strings and almost expertly tuned out a solo that sounded just as good as anything that had been playing on a real guitar. That was how good he was.

Of course, a cello bow can only make a guitar do so much. Kisaka proved that when he tossed the bow into the audience, where there was a mad scramble for it amongst the crowd, and began playing a normal guitar solo with his fingers. This one was harder, with a more zealous edge that literally screamed out at every corner of the auditorium. Kisaka continued on his own with Ades behind him for a while, demonstrating why he was considered one of the greatest.

The rest of the band joined in once again after about a minute, after which the audience applauded vigorously.

_You've been coolin', baby, I've been droolin'_

_All the good times I've been misusin'_

_Way, way down inside, I'm gonna give you my love_

_I'm gonna give you every inch of my love!_

_Gonna give you my love_

_Yeah! All right! LET'S GO!_

_Wanna whole lotta love?_

_Wanna whole lotta love?_

_Wanna whole lotta love?_

_Wanna whole lotta love?_

At this point, Kisaka and Andy had moved up towards Arthur at the front of the stage as the song deteriorated into its aftermath. The audience slowly got to its feet and applauded vigorously as loud as it could. Finally, after a signal from Arthur, Kisaka turned on his right leg and jumped into the air, banging out one last mighty chord as he landed. The audience erupted. "Thank you!"

Backstage, Kira, Lacus, and Athrun watched in awe. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Athrun asked absent-mindedly.

Kira took a sip from his beer. "That no matter how hard we try, we'll never be as good as them?" Lacus laughed.

"Yeah, something like that," Athrun agreed.

* * *

**AN: **_Armageddon It_ is a song by Mercury recording artists _Def Leppard. Black Dog_ and _Whole Lotta Love_ are songs by Atlantic Records recording artists _Led Zeppelin_. I am not affiliated with either of these companies and do not own the rights to these songs. 


	17. You Belong to the City

The awards ceremony ended shortly after 10:00 that night. _Fome Lokkomotive_ finished their hour-and-a-half long set and received a standing ovation from the audience and backstage personnel. The four members stood together on stage for a few moments to say thank you, before leaving quietly.

Afterwards, there was a rush by the media both inside and outside the auditorium to greet the stars of the evening as they left. More than anyone, the four members of _Fome Lokkomotive_ were the most sought after. While Ades slipped away quietly, much like his departure from the music business some years earlier, Arthur, Kisaka, and Andy stayed after with reporters and fans, each individually. This was done partly to please their fans, but also to let Ades, who was quite a shy man, to slip away unnoticed, a final olive branch of everlasting friendship and comradeship on this special evening.

The distraction posed by the lucrative chance to meet the three rock legends was beneficial to many others involved in the awards ceremony. Yzak snuck out through a back door in the auditorium after catching a glimpse of Andy speaking with reporters and journalists backstage. He and the other band members had distanced themselves from one another in order to leave without being swarmed. He was the last one to leave, volunteering to remain behind until the last moment and allowing the others to escape first. Finally, after an hour of patiently waiting, and approximately four nervous cigarettes in the back, Yzak quietly slipped out into the alley behind the auditorium and into the darkness beyond.

He still wore his black suit, white shirt, and black tie, the clothes he had performed in, while leaving his guitar in the care of the band's tour staff. Yzak walked slowly and casually for two blocks, traveling farther away from the auditorium and the media circus that had descended upon it. The sidewalks were almost deserted at this point; it was late at night on a weekday and many people would be asleep by now was the reason Yzak came up with for this unexpected, but greatly appreciated, moment of solitude.

Yzak continued on into the city, whistling a tune that had come into his head. Eventually, as he passed beneath street lamps and stop signs, he found himself singing in a whisper.

_You belong to the city._

_You belong to the night._

_Living in a river of darkness._

_Beneath the neon light._

He continued singing as he approached a deserted traffic light without a single car or pedestrian waiting for it to change. Yzak stopped at the light because it was red and shoved his hands into his jacket's pocket. It wasn't cold, but Yzak did it anyway. As he waited for the light to change, he glanced around him, making sure that there was no one nearby. The intersection remained deserted. Yzak took a cigarette out from his jacket and lit it, the white flame illuminating his face and hands as he puffed gaily on the cigarette. Yzak removed the cigarette from his mouth and blew white smoke out of his mouth. He once again glanced up at the traffic light. It finally changed to green, but Yzak didn't move. He remained where he was and continued looking up at the stoplight. Finally, he sighed. "It's gonna be warm out tonight," he murmured.

A shadow moved behind him out from underneath the awning of a closed shop on the corner. His ears picked up a clicking sound against the stone sidewalk and they perked up. Yzak managed a small smile as the shadow moved to stand beside him. "So what did you think?" he asked quietly.

Shiho smiled beside him. "I thought it was a good show," she said in an equally quiet voice. She wore a simple navy blue dress with green flower petals scattered across the front and back and her brown hair seemed to sparkle beneath the street lights. "You're dancing's improved," she added lightly.

"Why thank you," he said dryly. He puffed on his cigarette again. "Want one?"

"Sure." Yzak handed her a cigarette and lit it for her. She puffed on it carefully and blew out a small stream of smoke with a sigh. "How did you know that was my favorite song?"

"What?"

"The one you were singing on the way here. That let me know that it was you coming," Shiho said.

"Just a lucky guess," Yzak responded unemotionally.

"You snooped around my flat, didn't you?"

"Maybe." Both puffed on their cigarettes again. "Listen…I'm really glad you agreed to come out here, Shiho."

"I was happy to, Yzak," she reassured him. "I've had a wonderful time out here."

"Good. That's all I wanted to hear." He glanced at his wristwatch. "It's getting late. We should probably get going."

"Where?"

Yzak shrugged. "I don't know. Dinner?"

"Sure. Do you know any good places?"

"Yeah. I know this one small place where we can be in private. Only problem is, is it closes pretty soon, so we'd better hurry." Yzak started into the intersection at a brisk pace.

"I hope you know I can't go very fast when I'm wearing heels, Yzak," Shiho laughed behind him.

Yzak stopped. He took his cigarette out of his mouth and dropped it onto the asphalt, smoothing it out with his foot. "Okay, new plan then." He turned around and without warning scooped a squealing Shiho up in his arms and began to carry her across the street.

"Yzak!" she laughed. "What's this for?"

"Well, you said you couldn't walk very fast, so this is the next best option in my mind. Plus, if things keep going like this, I'll probably be doing this a lot in the future, so I may as well get as much practice as I can now."

Shiho laughed again. "Did you just make a joke, Yzak?"

Yzak shrugged as he continued on. "I hope not."

* * *

Kira unlocked the door to the house he and Lacus owned, which was located on a large piece of land overlooking lake near the center of Orb. He ushered his wife inside and closed the door behind them quietly. "You were wonderful tonight, Lacus," he complimented her.

"Thank you very much, Kira. You were very good as well. Congratulations on your awards."

"It's the first time we won more than one," Kira admitted. He took his jacket off and hung it in the hallway closet before joining Lacus in their living room. Lacus had taken a seat on their sofa and indicated for Kira to join her. "In a second." He proceeded over to where he kept an old music player in the corner of the white carpeted room. He dug through piles of old albums that he had kept up over the years until he found the one that he was looking for. It had been buried underneath many of them, even though it was one that he himself had recorded.

"What are you doing, Kira?" Lacus asked kindly from across the room.

"You'll see," Kira responded evenly. Lacus raised an eyebrow. He took the disc out of its case and placed it in the player before selecting the correct track. After a pause, Lacus heard the sound of a piano echo throughout their living room, as a result of the surround sound that Kira had installed the last time he'd been home. She recognized the song the instant it started playing and she slowly smiled. Kira turned around and walked up to where his wife sat, still clad in her lavender dress that she had worn to the awards ceremony. "I thought since we're together again…we could do something that we hadn't done for a while." He offered her his hand and winked.

Lacus looked up at him with her deep blue eyes. "Oh, Kira. I'd love to." She took his hand.

As Kira's own voice began to sound all across the room, he took Lacus into his arms and put one arm around her waist and held her right hand with his left, while her right hand went to his shoulder and encircled his neck. They swayed together as the music played all around them.

_I believe that there's something deep inside_

_That shouldn't be from time to time_

_I sure found out, thought love was such a crime_

_The more you care, the more you fall_

_No need to worry, no need to turn away_

'_Cause it don't matter, anyway. Baby,_

_(Oohh.) I'd miss you in a heartbeat._

_Yeah, I'd miss you right away_

_(Oohh.) I'd miss you in a heartbeat._

_It ain't love, if it don't feel that way._

Lacus placed her chin on Kira's shoulder and closed her eyes. "I love you so much, Kira."

Kira smiled. "I love you too, Lacus."

* * *

Athrun stumbled through the doorway to the hotel room he and Cagalli had rented for the evening immediately after unlocking the door with his key card. Cagalli laughed, "Are you okay…?"

Athrun managed to reorganize himself and took a deep breath. "Yeah. Just a little tired."

"You look like you had a little too much to drink at dinner, Athrun," Cagalli added as she shuffled past him while he hastily took his tie off.

"I didn't. Don't worry about it," he reassured her.

"Well, the way you almost fell as you came into the room was a little unsettling, Athrun," Cagalli admitted. She had sat down on the edge of the king-sized bed closest to the window overlooking the city outside. She pulled off her dress heels and sighed happily. "Much better," she said as she wiggled her toes.

Athrun had managed to get his tie off and was now undoing the cuff-links on his shirt. "Did you have a good meal?" he asked her.

"Yes. I did. Though I really wish your parents hadn't insisted on paying," she said as she laid her head down on one of the pillows.

"Well, that's how my mom is," Athrun responded with a smile. "Even though I'm making millions of dollars, she still thinks I need money."

Cagalli laughed. "You're mom is so nice. You're dad too. With everything he had to tolerate when you were younger I'm surprised you guys have as good a relationship as you do."

Athrun tilted his head slightly. He made his way over to the bed where his wife lay and sat on the edge beside her, draping an arm across her body. "And what might _that_ mean?"

"Oh, come on. You remember how you used to be before you got with Kira and the others and formed the band. You gave him more gray hairs than anything else by the way you kept on changing what you wanted to do with your life." Athrun blinked. "That will drive any father crazy if his son doesn't know what he wants to do with his life when he's into his twenties," Cagalli continued, reaching up to play with his long locks of blue hair.

"Yeah. I did put him and my mom through a lot. But once I got with the band, he seemed to get a lot more cheerful."

"Of course he did. He saw how happy you were and now that you've finally settled on something and done something worthwhile with your life he's going to be a lot happier and more relaxed."

Athrun smirked. "Which was worthwhile? Joining the band…or marrying you?"

"Watch it, buster," Cagalli returned. She smiled. "Your parents are the best."

"No. _Your_ dad's the best there is," Athrun retorted.

"Really? Why?"

Athrun leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. "Because he is the _only_ ruler of a nation that would let his princess marry a rock star." Cagalli smiled. "It's true. Some of the other representatives still resent him for letting me marry you."

"That's only because it meant their sons couldn't have me." _Like I would want them,_ Cagalli added to herself.

"And against every one of those spoiled rich guys, you chose me," Athrun whispered. "I'm the luckiest guy in the world, aren't I?"

Cagalli sat up slightly. "Well, that would also make me the luckiest girl in the world, wouldn't it?" she added dryly. They kissed again, this time for a longer period. When they broke, Athrun sighed. "You know…I've been thinking. About us. You know…I'm on the road a lot…you're busy with your government stuff…it really doesn't give us much time to see each other. I've been…wondering…about the future. You know…our family. What's going to happen-hmm!"

Cagalli effectively silenced him with one finger against his lips. She frowned up at him. She grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him down onto the mattress on top of her. "You don't need to worry about that," she whispered against his lips. "That won't be a problem at all." She kissed him again.

* * *

"Hi, sweetie. How did you like the show?" Nicol was standing in a phone booth in a secluded part of the downtown district, a short walking distance away from his hotel.

"You were great!" Krystal beamed through the other end of the line. "I was really glad you did well. Congratulations on your awards!"

"Thank you."

"When do you think you'll be home?" she asked.

"Uh…I'm guessing, maybe in two weeks. We'll be in the studio for a couple of days next week, but we don't have anything scheduled after that, so I should be able to come home then."

"Good. I miss you."

"I miss you too," Nicol repeated. "I've gotta go, so I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. I love you, Nicol."

"Love you too, Krystal."

* * *

Across town, Andy had finally managed to escape from the throng of paparazzi at the auditorium and had returned to his home on the outskirts of the city. He now sat on his back porch, overlooking the sea just a short distance away. He took a sip from his drink and leaned back into one of his lounge chairs. Performing on stage for the first time in twenty years had taken a lot out of him physically and emotionally. But, based on the conversations and moments he had spent with his old friends and band mates, he could tell that it was well worth it. It had been too long since they'd last all been together.

Andy felt a soft hand on his shoulder. "Congratulations," whispered a voice over his shoulder.

Andy smiled and glanced up at his wife Aisha over his shoulder. "Thank you."

"So how does it feel to be on stage again?" she asked kindly.

"Great. Best feeling I've had in the past twenty years as a matter of fact." He brushed her cheek gently with his hand. "Besides marrying you of course," he added cheekily.

* * *

Dearka had slipped away from the auditorium very early after the conclusion of the awards ceremony. He had done the exact same thing Yzak had, except he went in the opposite direction, walking along the sidewalk beneath the dim street lamps as he made his way over to a rendezvous point he had established before the ceremony had begun. It was in front of one of his favorite restaurants in the downtown district, a small, but expensive Italian eatery that made some of the best pasta dishes in the entire country. Here was where he waited until Miriallia arrived about fifteen minutes after him. She had witnessed the awards show from the press box which was located in one of the auditorium's balcony seating areas.

They enjoyed a hearty meal and eventually made their way back to their hotel around midnight. Dearka used his key card to unlock the door to his room and motioned for her to enter ahead of him. "That was an excellent meal. Thank you," she said in thanks as she brushed past him.

"It was my pleasure," Dearka responded. "I never knew you had such an appetite," he joked.

"Neither did I," Miriallia added, with a slight laugh. Dearka managed to get his jacket off and helped Miriallia with hers. "Thanks. I guess it's because I've really never had a lot of opportunities to just enjoy myself at a restaurant and eat as much as I want." She sat down on the edge of the bed closest to the window and casually crossed her legs. Dearka sat opposite of her as she continued, "I remember when…"

Her voice trailed off. She glanced away from him for a short period and Dearka frowned. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry," she apologized, her gaze once again returning to him. "I was thinking about…the time I was in Paris."

"Your honeymoon?" Dearka asked.

Miriallia nodded. "That was the only time I can remember that I actually ate as much as I did tonight," she admitted. "Generally, it's not something I would want to remember."

"I can understand that." Dearka paused for a moment. "Miriallia. I hate to ask you this…but you haven't given me the full picture yet." He put his hands on his knees. "What happened…between you and your husband…?"

Miriallia frowned. She bit her lower lip and sighed so quietly Dearka had to strain his ears in order to hear her. "Well…I was in college. We met in one of our classes and ended up spending a lot of time together…and then we…fell in love. We got married before I graduated…he was a year older than I was. We spent our honeymoon in Paris and when we came back here I went back to school for my last year." Miriallia's voice was quiet as she spoke. She was now looking down to the floor instead of at Dearka and her eyes had gotten smaller as she continued. "I guess it was because we were away from each other all the time…he had his job and I had school…but we never really spent a lot of time together after that. At one point he asked me to drop out and come live with him…but I couldn't do that. My parents had saved up all their lives to send me to school…I couldn't let them down and let it go to waste. So I said no. I guess maybe it was my fault in a way."

Dearka placed his hand over hers and squeezed it gently. She looked at him. "It's okay," he whispered. "You don't have to say anything more."

She shook her head. "I haven't been honest with you. I need to tell you this in order for me to feel right about myself." She took a deep breath and glanced up at a painting on the wall above the television set. It was of a sailboat on the open waters with a yellow sun gleaming down upon it. "A little while after that I started hearing rumors about my friends seeing him with other girls downtown. I didn't want to believe it at first…but as time passed…it became clear to me that he was doing something that isn't healthy for marriage. I left him right after I graduated…I didn't even say goodbye to him. I guess it was because I was angry because he had cheated and lied to me, but…now that I think about it…I feel kind of mad at myself for doing that…"

"You can't." Dearka's voice was solid. "It wasn't your fault that he broke your heart."

Miriallia gulped back a tear. "After we got divorced…I spent a lot of time by myself. Eventually I got the job writing for the magazine and ended up spending a lot of time covering celebrities in Orb…mostly keeping to myself in the process. I guess my heart hadn't fully healed by then."

Dearka blinked. "Has it now?" he asked.

She glanced at him, then back up at the painting. "I don't know…I just don't know." Miriallia was almost instantly angry with herself again for telling him that. He had been so kind to her, the entire band had. And yet here she was, after all he had done for her, after he had virtually given her all of his heart, telling him that she wasn't going to accept it. How could she do that to him? Why? Miriallia sniffed roughly through her nose and started to stand. "I should go," she said quickly.

Dearka grasped her hand firmly. "No." She looked back down at him, a tear finally beginning to stream down her cheek. Dearka saw it and he paused. _Did I do that?_ he wondered. He sincerely wished he hadn't. The last thing he wanted was to see her cry. "Miriallia," he began in a hushed voice. He slowly slid down the edge of the bed until he was seated before her. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't do_ anything_ that would warrant him to do that to you." He took her by her waist and held her. "You shouldn't blame yourself."

Miriallia hesitated for a moment and then allowed herself to be drawn to him. "I know…" she whispered. "I can't help it."

"I know. That's how you are. You hate the idea of hurting anyone…even if they deserve it. You're too nice. But let me tell you this. No matter what you may think went wrong about your past…you are still you. I know who you are…all the others know exactly who you are. You are a kind, gentle, well-mannered woman with a fantastic job, apparently a great family, and someone who _any_ of us would do _anything_ for. If that is who you are…how can you think that you were to blame for anything that happened?"

Miriallia allowed her hands to place themselves on his shoulders. She pressed herself against him and blinked back more tears. She managed a smile. "Thank you, Dearka. I appreciate that so much."

"You're welcome," he whispered back, before giving her a warm kiss.

"I guess I'd better be going then, huh?" she said after a brief interval.

He did not release her. "Don't go. Stay with me…please?" he asked. Miriallia again hesitated. "Miriallia…I swear I will not do anything to hurt you. I will not touch you…I will not do anything that would make you uncomfortable. I care too much for you to even think about that. I just want to show you how much you mean to me. So…please?"

Miriallia paused. He was smiling up at her and looked so innocent that it almost broke her heart to think about refusing his request. Although her conscience was telling her that she should go, she couldn't bring herself to do it. "Okay," she whispered down at him and then she smiled.

After Dearka had showered, Miriallia disappeared into the bathroom. He sat down in the room's only chair next to the table, dressed in only a pair of loose fitting sleeping pants, and began to write something on a piece of paper. It was a letter to his parents.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_I'm writing from Orb. We just finished with the Orb Music Awards and we won two; best album and performer of the year. I hope you guys watched. I should be home in a few weeks for a visit. Nicol's wedding is coming up, so I'll be able to see you there if not in a few weeks. Otherwise, everything is going well. I've met someone who I think you'll really like. I'll bring her home with me and introduce her to you. You guys will absolutely love her. Say hi to Tara and Michelle for me._

_Love,  
Dearka_

_XOXOX_

Dearka examined his letter for a few seconds. He heard the bathroom door open up with a creak and heard Miriallia's footsteps on the carpet as she walked across the room. "What's that?" he heard her call out to him.

"Letter to my folks. I haven't written to them for a while so I figured I owed it to them…" The instant he turned around in the chair, his voice lost all its volume. She was lying on the bed farthest from him on her side, her head propped up on her right arm, her hair damp from her recent shower. "Is that my shirt?" he asked her slyly.

Her blue eyes glanced down at herself, clothed only in his white dress shirt that only went down to her mid-thighs. "Maybe…" she responded coyly. "I didn't have time to go back to my room and get something to wear…I didn't think you'd mind."

Dearka smiled and made his way over to her. "As a matter of fact…" he said as he lied down beside her, "I think it looks better on _you_ than it did on me." They wrapped their arms around each other held each other close. Dearka could feel her body through the thin material of her shirt and he stroked her as he kissed her lips. "I love you so much," he whispered to her as he pressed his forehead against hers.

"I love you too," she responded quietly.

Dearka fell asleep a few moments after, still holding onto her. In the darkness, Miriallia remained awake for a long time. She spent all that time merely looking at him. He looked so peaceful as he slept; his face seemed to be frozen in a happy expression. She loved all the time she could spend with him. She felt better than she had in a long time…

She could feel the tears begin to stream down her cheeks as that thought crossed her mind. She snuggled closer to him and pressed her cheek against his. She sobbed on as she held him. It was almost too much for her to bear that she would have to leave him very soon.

* * *

**AN:** _You Belong to the City_ is a song by MCA Records recording artist _Glenn Frey._ _Miss You in a Heartbeat _is a song by Mercury recording artists _Def Leppard_. I do not own either of these labels and am not affiliated with the rights to these songs. 


	18. The End Sort Of

Miriallia had forgotten how splendid an sun-filled early morning was in Orb. In a tropical climate such as this, where summer afternoon temperatures were expected to reach into the 80s and low 90s, early morning, with its bright sunrises, cool temperatures, and equally cool breezes from the ocean, were a pleasure unto themselves. Her apartment was located on the second-to-last floor of a high-rise building just outside of the capital city. A modest accommodation, it served a beat reporter for a local pop culture magazine well; it featured a single bedroom with a queen-sized bed, a living room with expansive windows overlooking either the city or the coast, depending on which side of the building one lived on, and a full-service kitchen with a cedar stained hardwood floor.

Fixing herself a steaming mug of coffee, Miriallia inhaled the sweet scent of her morning brew with an excited flare. As a reporter whose only contact with her office of employment was the occasional meeting with her editor to fill her in on her next assignment, Miriallia liked to think that she worked for herself because she hardly ever had to leave her apartment when not on assignment. Her office was her living room, with its windows overlooking the crystal blue waves lapping gently at the sandy beaches a few miles away. She would set her laptop on her coffee table and sit on the couch, turn the radio on, listen to some soft music, and write her latest articles. During the tour she had occasionally been forced to write her articles in cramped spaces backstage, so the feeling of sitting down on her sofa, its comfortable confines enveloping her like fluffy clouds, was exhilarating to her.

Opening her laptop, Miriallia set her mug on a coaster in front of her, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the music her radio provided her with while she waited for her computer to warm up. It consisted of a quiet keyboard playing a series of three whole notes, with a saxophone soloing above it. The windows were open to her right, allowing the salty breeze of the ocean to lift her loose brown curls away from her scalp and give her the feeling that she was drifting through the air. _How often I've felt like that this past year,_ she said to herself happily.

Her computer gave off its customary start-up sound and she opened her blue eyes. She stretched out her arms and twisted her neck slowly from side to side. Taking one last breath, she leaned forward and began to type what would be her last article pertaining to her time with _Iron Fist._

_Kira Yamato, his voice a cross between a cello and a miter saw, sings what to anyone else would be an ordinary stream of words, and millions of women scream out in ecstasy before him._

_Yzak Joule, the self-proclaimed ultimate enemy of love and commitment, accompanies Kira with bellowing guitar melodies that have never been heard played but a few times before, by the likes of Ledonir Kisaka and Ismail Valdez; such is the company he keeps in the rock guitar world._

_Underneath them both lies Athrun Zala, whose pulsating bass thunders like a sledgehammer against a railroad spike, but also contains the passionate whine of a locomotive chugging through a clear night sky._

_Nicol Amalfi, who the classical music community would welcome into their ranks without hesitation, brings a sophisticated, mature sound to powerful ballads and yet plays the piano and keyboard with the mind-set of a schoolboy out to impress a pretty girl._

_And finally, there's Dearka Elsman. He hits things with wooden sticks...very hard. _

_Such is the make-up of the greatest band in the world today. Iron Fist has sold over twenty-five million records worldwide, each of which has been critically and commercially acclaimed, has churned out multiple hit singles that have dominated both rock and Top 40 radio for over four years, and has captivated audiences everywhere with their unique ability to blend the brashness of hard rock with the emotion of pop and adult-oriented music. Nothing like them has been seen before or since, but four years ago, this image was the last thing that five old friends who formed a garage band in Kira Yamato's basement could have expected._

_It started with two friends who shared a love for the guitar and rock music. They started playing together in high school and eventually met and joined forces with three more friends and formed a posse that hardly be called a band. _

_Now four years, four best-selling albums, ten No. 1 singles, and four of the biggest grossing world tours in history later, surprisingly little has changed. The five are still great friends and their time off is usually spent in one of their homes doing what they did before they became rock royalty; they sat around and played. The only foreseeable difference between then and now in their minds is the fact that Kira and Athrun are now brothers-in-law along with best friends._

_Fame hasn't changed them one bit. They are still the cheerful, charming, and engrossing individuals they were when they started out and if you're lucky enough to get the chance to sit down with them and talk, you'll start to realize that they are no different from you and I._

_I had the privilege of doing that for all of the past year. I first met the band during the final stages of the recording process for their latest album, which has already been certified double platinum around the world in less than a year. At first I was reluctant; I had never been given an assignment outside of the country. Now I was expected to shadow the world's most famous rock band around the world for an entire tour. I had butterflies in my stomach the minute I set foot inside their rehearsal space, but they quickly evaporated._

_They welcomed me with open arms and treated me almost as if I was one of the group the entire time. In my opinion, it is very unlikely that any other band would have gone to that length in order to make a simple journalist feel as good as they made me feel. _

_I got the chance to learn a good deal about each of member of the band that they wouldn't tell the normally prying pop culture media. I won't say any of it in this column because I don't think that would be the proper way to thank them for all they have done for me this year. However, I will say that once you get below the surface of each individual, the web of complexity stretches on for miles. _

_Bands nowadays are sometimes like revolving doors; musicians come and go as they please, many times from album to album or tour to tour. Not these boys. They've made it clear to each other than once one of them decides that they've had enough of the fame and glamor, they all will stop. It wouldn't be the same if they continued on. That is the kind of relationship that makes this band unique. Everyone is in it for everyone, from the core group of the band down to the lowest of the roadies who haul their equipment from place to place. This is one big, happy family._

_Iron Fist is also the ultimate democracy. No single member takes credit for what the band has done. Each song and each album is prepared equally, with each member participating in the writing and performing sessions. It's not a one man show in this band; it's an equal show, showcasing the talents of the five quality men who make up this great group._

_No band like this has existed in the modern world of music. Regardless of the number of albums sold or concert tours, this band lives for each other and their fans. If they ever were to agree to an open autograph session, they would undoubtedly be besieged by legions of fans and the lines would stretch on for miles. However, the band would stay until every single person in that line received what they came for. In their eyes, the worst thing they could do would be to disappoint even one of their fans, which is why they've constantly extended tours so that many more people can see them, even if it cuts into their time away from the spotlight._

_These men are also unique when it comes to their private lives. On tour, there are no women waiting backstage for a quick photo shoot or possibly some action on the side. Oh, no. Once the show is over, the band closes the doors backstage to everyone except the decorated press and those people that they know they can trust. Kira and Athrun, who are both happily married, often talk about their wives and how much they care for them. And, I hate to be the one to break the suspense, but since he gave me permission, I'm happy to announce that Nicol will be wedding his long-time girlfriend next month. Also per his orders, I'm not going to reveal the exact date or location. The band prefers to keep their private lives just that; private._

_And so the long year comes to an end. Before the last concert, I asked each member of the band what they thought of the entire experience._

_**Kira:** This is what I live for. I mean, I've got a great wife, great family, but this is my life right here. I wouldn't want to be doing anything else with my life. Music is what drives me. It will always be what drives me._

_**Athrun:** It's great. Just to be able to see smiles on all those kids' faces out there makes me happy. If I can just make one person smile for a few seconds each day, even if their life is complete , that fulfills my obligation as a member of this group._

_**Yzak:** I just love playing my guitar. I can't believe I get to make music for a living; that's what I tell everyone who asks me why I do this. _

_**Nicol: **My Mom always told me that when you find something you really want, you need to hold onto it with all your might because you never know when you might lose it. Sure I've been tempted to stop and take a step out of the limelight, but knowing how many people I would upset, including her, I don't think I'll ever reach that point._

_**Dearka:** I just love doing this. It's...it's...just awesome._

_Such is the legacy of the greatest band in the world. They're not flashy, they're not over the top, they're not selfish. They're ordinary guys who love what they do and do what they love. _

_So this is my message to the five of them; thank you. Thank you for everything you've done for me this year. And most of all, thank you for being my friends_

Miriallia had to stop herself when she felt the streams of tears begin to streak down her cheeks. Although she was smiling, Miriallia could feel her insides turning themselves inside out. After a year with them, she could barely comprehend that she was going to have to leave them. They were her friends, just as they said she was. Worst of all, what was she going to tell-

A sudden knock at the door jarred Miriallia out of her train of thought. Quickly wiping away the rivers of tears on her cheeks, she straightened herself and started for the door. "Yes?" she asked as she swung the wooden entrance open. Dearka was waiting for her. "Oh, D-Dearka," she stammered, shocked to see him standing before her now. "W-what are you doing here?" she asked sheepishly, hoping that she hadn't left anything on her face that would give him the impression that she'd been crying.

He offered her his usual sly smile. "Oh, I was just in the neighborhood...thought I'd stop by and say hello."

"Oh...well. W-would you like to come in?" she asked.

"I'd love to, thank you." He brought his hand out from behind his back and Miriallia found herself staring at a bouquet of flowers. "For you."

Miriallia accepted them carefully and she smiled. "Thank you...they're beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you," he remarked. He stepped past her and made his way slowly into her apartment. "So this is where you would live during a normal year," he observed.

"Yes." Miriallia made a quick dash for the kitchen and placed the flowers on the counter while she prepared a vase of water to put them in.

"It's nice."

"It suits me," Miriallia remarked over the now running water. "I don't think I'd like to live anywhere spacious, so this place to me is quite cozy."

Dearka stuck his hands into the pockets of his brown leather jacket and walked around nonchalantly, taking in the sights of her accommodations. "Is this your family?" he asked, coming to a picture hanging on her living room wall.

"Yes. That's my parents and my younger sister," she responded. She delicately set the flowers into the vase after filling it and set it on the kitchen counter. "She's four and a half years younger than me."

"So she's still in high school, then?"

"No, she just graduated. She goes to school in New Zealand."

"Wow. She must be pretty smart to be able to go out there," he commented. "Not that I'm saying that you're not smart."

"No, none taken." Miriallia moved out of the kitchen and made her way into the living room before sitting on her couch. When he wasn't looking, she closed her laptop so he couldn't see her work.

"So, I was thinking," he said at last after a long period of silence. "Since we're not going to be on the road at all during the next few months...maybe it would be possible for us to get together again. You know, go see a movie, go to dinner. Like we did on the tour."

Miriallia didn't respond at first. This was what she had been dreading ever since she realized that the tour had been coming to an end. She hadn't told him about it in fear that she would hurt him badly. She had been trying to get him in a place where she wouldn't have to hurt him very badly, but now that he had sprung it on her, she felt that she had little choice. "Um...actually, Dearka...I'm going to pretty busy in the next few weeks. You know...I may have another assignment in a couple of days, so I may not have much time."

"Oh. Well, that's okay. I can accommodate my schedule to fit yours." He walked back into the middle of the room and stood in front of her. "You know how much I care about you, Miriallia," he said softly. "I would do anything for you. If it means that we won't be able to see each other for a while..."

"No...it's not that..." she interrupted.

Dearka frowned. "Is something wrong?"

Miriallia gulped. "Dearka..." she said, averting her gaze. "I...I don't think...it would work..."

"What?"

"Us...I...just don't think it could work."

He paused. She could see his mouth open slightly and try to find words to respond, but he didn't say anything for the longest time. "What are you talking about?" he said at last. "You remember all the fun we had while we were out on the tour. We laughed together, we told stories to one another...we told each other secrets. How...how could it not work?"

"I just...think it would be best if we didn't."

Dearka spread his arms out. "But, why? I thought everything was going great. Uh...w-was it something-?"

"No! It's not you!" she said, getting to her feet immediately. "Dearka...your an amazing guy. You're one of the nicest people I've ever met. There's nothing you could have done."

"But...why?" he pleaded with her. "There has to be some reason, Miriallia! You just don't end a relationship like ours just because you can!" His voice was rising. She had been afraid that this would be his reaction, but she knew she couldn't stop it.

She moved away from him and stood with her back to him, her front facing the window overlooking the coast. "It just wouldn't work," she said at last. "A relationship like ours...it wouldn't have been for the best. Your a touring musician...one of the most famous persons in the world. Me...I'm a lowly journalist."

"That doesn't matter to me!" he responded. He paused, searching for the right words, but his mind was so frustrated being unable to comprehend what was happening, he couldn't say anything straight. "Miriallia...I...I care about you more than anything else!"

"I'm sorry, Dearka."

"Come on! I'll stop touring if you want me to! I mean...it's not like it's something I can't stop with a snap of my finger." He did just that to add emphasis.

"Don't!" she said quietly, interrupting his rant. "Dearka...I would never want you to stop touring. That's why it couldn't work out between us." She was finding it so hard to say this, but her lips moved anyway.

"Miriallia, please! I-I..." Dearka paused again. His head looked from side to side and she could hear him pacing behind her. She didn't turn around however. "I can't...uh...I can't believe this. After everything we've been through! After everything that happened! You're going to let it go just like that?"

He was getting angry; she had anticipated that, but it was still startling to her. "I'm sorry, D-."

"Sorry doesn't fix it, Miriallia!" he shouted. "I...gave you everything I had...and yet apparently it still wasn't good enough!"

She closed her blue eyes and bowed her head. "Dearka...you should leave."

"Fine!" he shouted. "If that's the way it has to be, then fine! Screw it!" He started for the door and he continued shouting as he went. "You know...I'm starting to understand why your bastard first-husband walked out on you! He couldn't deal with your shit either!"

"Shut up!"

"Maybe he was smart. Maybe he got before anything else happened to screw with him!"

"Shut up!" she screamed. "Shut your mouth and get out!"

"Fine! Screw you!" Dearka rushed for the door, but before he left he went over to the counter and knocked the vase of flowers off and onto the floor, the glass shattering when it hit the hardwood below. He opened the door and shouted, "Consider that my farewell present to you!" He then slammed the door behind him

Dearka stomped down the hallway toward the elevator, his body still fuming. After everything he had given that woman, his mind, his body, and most of all his heart, she dropped it and stepped on it like a bug. He reached the elevator and waited impatiently for it to arrive. While waiting, his anger only grew and it swelled up to the breaking point where in pure frustration he swung his arm out at the wall and struck it with an ugly thud that sent shudders of pain coursing throughout his body. He then hung his head. _Why? Why did this happen? _

He didn't pay attention to the elevator's arrival. He merely stayed like that and vented his frustration and dismay in stunned silence.

Miriallia waited a few seconds after he slammed the door to let everything she had been holding back go. She collapsed to her knees and let the tears flow from her eyes like waterfalls. She hung her head against the glass in front of her and held her arms close to her as she cried. She hadn't wanted to do that, but she had no choice. Dearka was the one person she had convinced herself that she could truly love, but now that was all gone. And she had chosen it that way. She continued to cry in anguish, loud exasperations of sadness and anger, for the love that was now gone.


	19. Exploiting a Loophole

A week later, _Iron Fist_, had returned to the studio in order to lay down a few tracks that would become the backbone for a movie soundtrack that would be released the following year. Although this was a product of the parent company of their record label looking to promote a movie that was being released by their film division, the band had agreed on the condition that they would only be contributing three songs, all of which would be written by the band themselves. It was typical for movie songs to be written and arranged by the film's music director, but in this case, the company had made an exception and the band had taken the task in hand.

The songs had come together easy enough during one of the group's retreats at Kira's mansion, this one attended by all five members instead of the usual songwriting team of Kira, Yzak, and Athrun. Each member had contributed something to at least one of the compositions and they had now returned to the studio with Andy and Natarle with the fully completed songs that were ready to be recorded.

The only problem was that they couldn't seem to get the sound they wanted to hear onto the tape.

After several failed attempts, Athrun stepped through the door to the control room and sighed. "How many takes does that make, Andy?"

"Eleven."

"_Eleven?_ We usually knock these things off in four at the most!"

"I know, I know." He spoke to Yzak through the control room's talkback microphone. Only the lead guitarist and Dearka were currently in the recording space. "You want to take a break, Yzak?"

"Let us do one more, okay Andy?"

"If that's what you want," Andy said reluctantly. He pushed the microphone away from his face and turned to Natarle. "Can you keep tabs on this? I need to talk to Athrun." Natarle nodded as she put on her headphones again and began to adjust the sound boards in front of her. Andy then faced Athrun. "Where'd everyone else run off to?"

"Nicol's out back taking a leak and I don't know where Kira went."

"What?"

"Yzak sent him somewhere apparently," Athrun responded with a shrug. "But where that is, I have absolutely no idea."

"Let's hope he gets back here quick. Unlike your other stuff we've got a deadline on this one," Andy said.

"You said you noticed something in the way my bass was sounding on the tape?" Athrun asked.

"Yeah. It's just a little thing, but it stood out like a sore thumb if you were paying close enough attention to it. May I?" he asked, pointing to Athrun's cherry-red bass guitar.

"Sure. By all means," Athrun said, sliding the guitar strap off of his shoulder. "You're the master as it is."

"I am not."

"It didn't sound like it a few weeks ago," Athrun pointed out.

"You give me too much credit."

Andy slipped the strap over his own shoulder and then turned to the control room's window facing the recording space. Yzak was tuning his Gibson SG with one foot resting on his amplifier while Dearka sat, or slumped, over his drum-set with a drooping face and body. His eyes were bloodshot; it looked as if he hadn't slept or eaten in days.

"What the hell's the matter with him?" Andy asked in a whisper.

Athrun shook his head. "Once again, I have absolutely no idea. He hasn't told me anything."

"Really?"

"Yzak's the only one that would know because he's the only one that saw Dearka in the days before we got here. Anyway, you were going to show me something?"

"Yeah. It's nothing serious, but I wanted to point something out to you. Now on an instrumental piece such as this, the audience is more aware of the sound of the instruments than on any other song. Without the singer to occupy some of the brain's attention span, they focus more on the instruments themselves and this makes it easier for them to detect mistakes."

"I understand that."

In the recording room, Dearka clapped out a half-hearted four beat stick clash and then started to accompany Yzak in playing the song that Andy was now discussing with Athrun.

"Now what you were doing I wouldn't call a mistake, but it stands out. On the past few takes, you were playing to stand out. Do you know what that means?"

"I think so."

"On a song like this, the way it's constructed, while the bass is important, it can't be too important. If you play it like this," Andy proceeded to slap the bass strings with his thumb a few times, resulting a heavy sound, "while you're making yourself more visible to the listener, you're also taking away from the song itself."

"Oh, I get it," Athrun answered nodding.

"Right. You don't want to totally obliterate a song like this. You're not a jazz band. You're a rock band that also knows how to write and play melodies. The bass needs to make its presence known, but still remain in the background and reinforce the guitar on a song like this." Andy then played the same procession of notes, but this time by barely brushing his thumb across the strings so that it sounded much quieter and serene. "You see what I'm saying?"

"So play within myself?"

"Exactly."

At the same time, the twelfth attempt at the same take was going about as well as the previous eleven.

Yzak was his typical efficient self. He stood with his back to the control room, arms cradling his guitar, cranking out a melodically heavy guitar riff that sounded endlessly complicated, but in reality was needlessly simple. Yzak was often commended by the music press because of his ability to take something as simple as the four-note, one-chord motif that almost any garage band could come up with and turning it into something that would melt the hearts of millions of women and earn the ire of millions of men around the world.

However, Dearka looked about as miserable as any of his band mates had ever seen him. His eyes were barely open and when they were they were so red that it looked as if they were bleeding. His drumming motions were so out-of-sync that any unfamiliar observer would find it easy to believe that he had never drummed before. And unlike Yzak, the sound Dearka was producing was not melodic at all; rather it was dull, heavy, and obnoxious.

"What the hell's the matter with him?"

Athrun glanced at Nicol who now stood to his right with his arms folded. "Your guess is as good as mine," he answered.

"He's been like this all since we've been here," Nicol added. "I've never seem him like this. It's as if he doesn't have the desire to play anymore."

"Don't say that," Athrun said. "Drumming is what Dearka was put on this Earth for. The day he doesn't want to play anymore is the day that I divorce Cagalli."

"And that's never going to happen," Nicol concurred.

With his back to the control room, those inside couldn't see Yzak's facial expression, but they had known Yzak long enough to know when something would push him over the edge. True to his roots, Yzak suddenly ceased playing his previous riff and instead ran all four of his fingers across the neck of his guitar, resulting in an ear-splitting wail that caused all in the control room to cringe.

Natarle placed both of her hands over the headphones covering her ears and quickly disposed of them. "I hate it when he does that!" she hissed.

"He only does that when he's pissed about something," Athrun observed.

Nicol nodded. "I have a good idea what it is."

The door to the control room opened and Kira strolled in looking exasperated. "Where did you run off to?"

"Government offices," Kira answered roughly.

"Government offices?"

"That was my reaction exactly when he asked me to," Kira said.

Yzak too had noticed Kira's arrival. "Did you get it, Kira?" he asked through the talkback.

Kira nodded. "I had to call in virtually every favor I had with the information department to get it, but I got it."

"Good. Andy, can we take ten?"

Athrun chuckled. "Take however long you need."

"Thank you." Yzak set his guitar down and then grabbed Dearka by the shirt-collar and yanked him out of his seat. "Kira! Athrun! Nicol! Breath Easy! _Now_!" Knowing better than to argue with an angry Yzak, the other three obediently followed.

After they had departed, Andy heard Natarle sigh.

"What is it?"

"Did you hear how badly that sounded?" she asked quietly as she replaced the existing recording tape with a new batch.

"How could I not?"

"Only one kind of drummer makes a sound like that."

He glanced at her. "And what kind of a drummer is that?"

"One with a broken heart."

* * *

Yzak dumped Dearka onto one of the Breath Easy's sofas and waited for the rest of the band to enter.

"What the hell is this about, Yzak?" Kira asked as he closed the door behind him.

Yzak had moved over to one of the far walls and was in the process of lighting a cigarette. "Ask him," he said, bobbing his head in Dearka's direction.

Kira glanced at Athrun and then Nicol, but the most he could get out of either of them was a shrug. Finally, he turned to Dearka. "Okay…Dearka, what's going on?"

Dearka's voice was a whisper. "I don't want to talk about it."

"So something did happen."

"Kira…"

"Dearka, you've been in this funk for almost a week now!" Kira said, his voice desperate. "Nicol and I have basically been reduced to recording a bunch of overdubs we don't need and Yzak's played that same damn riff over and over again for the past four hours. We've wasted three days in the studio because you can't hit a snare drum right or keep time accurately."

"Give me more time, I'll do it right…" Dearka murmured.

"It's not just us, Dearka. Natarle looks as if she's ready to break something in the control room every time you screw up something that you've done a million times before," Athrun added. "Even Andy's starting lose patience!"

"And we're wasting a ton money taking this long. The label's already given us another two days to finish this, Dearka, so today is the last day," Nicol pointed out. "We should have been able to finish laying down these tracks already."

"Mwu's trying to buy us some more time, but I don't think the label's going to agree," Kira surmised. "We're in a bind and we need you to get your act together. So tell us what the problem is."

Dearka brought his hand up to his forehead. "I _really_ don't want to do this, guys…"

"Neither do we," Athrun responded despondently.

"That's why you have to help us out, Dearka," Kira said. "We can't help you if you don't tell us. Something is tearing you apart and we know it."

"Look I just don't-."

"It's because Miriallia dumped his sorry ass," Yzak interrupted.

"What?"

"Yzak!" Dearka shouted.

"_That's _what this is about?" Nicol asked incredulously.

Dearka sighed. "Yes…" he said painfully.

"What happened?" Kira asked.

"I don't know," Dearka admitted.

"What?"

"_I don't know_! Okay?" Dearka shouted. "I thought…I thought it was going great. I thought…we had something. And then…and then…"

"She dumped you."

"Shut up, Yzak!"

"Yzak, come on!" Athrun broke in. "You're not helping."

"I have absolutely no idea what happened," Dearka admitted, his voice straining itself. "I-I can't honestly see what I did wrong…what I did to drive her away…"

"Maybe you didn't," Nicol suggested.

"No. Not the way she was talking. It was definitely me. And then…I did some stuff I'm not proud of…"

Kira sighed. "Look Dearka…I know it's painful…and I know it probably doesn't make any sense…but you can't let this consume you. You still have us."

"I know…it's just hard…"

Yzak snorted. He still had his back to the group. "If it's _that_ hard why don't you just quit?"

Dearka glared at him. "What did you say?"

"If you're going to be like this from now on and just mope around while the rest of us are working our asses off…then why don't you make it easier on us and just leave?"

"Screw you!"

"It won't be hard. We can find another drummer by tomorrow. One that _isn't_ going to let his feelings turn him into a walking pile of shit."

"Yzak!" Nicol shouted.

"Is that what you think?" Dearka said, jumping up to his feet. "Is that what you really think, Yzak?"

"Dearka, don't!" Nicol said, stepping between them.

"Get out of my way, Nicol!" Dearka shoved him aside and approached Yzak, his energy having suddenly returned. "Do you think it's easy to have to deal with something like this? To have someone break your heart like it was a toy?" Yzak wouldn't turn around. He only puffed on his cigarette. Dearka sighed and waved an angry hand in his direction. "Of course you don't!"

"I think you're a coward," Yzak said.

Dearka spun around quickly. "What? Coward? At least I'm man enough to admit when I'm-!"

"_No_!" Yzak shouted, turning around to face him. "That's not it! You're a coward because you're letting your own personal problems get in the way of your job!"

"What?"

"Have you even listened to a single thing we've done since we've been here?" Yzak demanded. "Like Athrun and Nicol said we should have been done here a long time ago. But you're moping around like you're a zombie and worried about what the hell you did to drive away some dumb girl!"

"Take that back!" Dearka said, stepping closer to Yzak so that they were face to face.

"What? Did I insult your little _girlfriend_? Aw, you're gonna make me cry!"

"Guys, come on!" Nicol said, trying to break it up, but Dearka pushed him away.

"Let him be, Nicol," Yzak said. "I want to see what his real reason is."

"Miriallia may have broken up with me, but that _doesn't_ mean I'm going to let someone like you insult her?"

"Where did this come from?" Yzak asked. "A minute ago you were talking about her as if you couldn't give a rat's ass about her. Now you're acting as if you're together again."

"You have no idea how much she meant to me Yzak…no…how much she _still_ means to me!"

"I think that's a load of shit," Yzak said bluntly.

Dearka grabbed him by the shirt. "What did you say?"

"I said I think you're full of shit," Yzak repeated. "The only reason you're doing this is because you can't take it. You can't believe that some little reporter wouldn't hook up with you, Mr. Big-Time Musician."

"Take that back!"

"So now, because your pride got a _little_ bruised you're dragging the rest of us into your little kiss-kiss party and making the rest of us look bad."

"Shut your damn mouth, Yzak! I'd never do that to you!"

"Yeah, right!"

"_Yzak_!"

"If you're going to let something like this affect you _this _much, then why are will still arguing? If that's the case, then give me one good reason why I shouldn't convince these guys to kick your ass out. Why should we help you with your love-life? Why should we believe you when you say this girl meant that much to you and that you wouldn't be able to continue on like you were without her?"

"Because I love her, dammit!" Dearka screamed.

The Breath Easy dropped into an uneasy silence. Kira, Athrun, and Nicol all looked on in horror as the band seemed to be dissolving before their eyes.

Both Dearka and Yzak glared at each other for what seemed like minutes. Yzak reached up and removed Dearka's hands from his shirt. "That's all I needed to hear," he said simply.

He started to walk away. "What did you say?" Dearka hissed.

"Kira…did you get it?"

"What?"

"The thing I asked you go get. Did you get it?"

Kira sighed heavily. "Yeah, I got it." He held up a small stack of paper.

"Let me have it." Yzak took the documents from Kira and examined them. "Exactly like I thought."

"What is it Yzak?" Dearka asked.

"The solution to your problem," he said simply, pushing the documents toward Dearka.

The blond-haired man accepted them hesitatingly. "What is it?" he repeated.

"That is a contract," Yzak answered. "An employment contract that every reporter for the Orb Newsweek is required to sign and be bound to for the duration of their employment with the magazine."

"You mean…?"

"It's Miriallia's employment contract," Yzak confirmed.

"How did you get this?"

"Kira?" Yzak inquired.

"Don't ask."

"I suggest you read page six, paragraph five," Yzak said. "I think you'll find your answer there."

Dearka scanned the said paragraph and his eyes widened as his eyes and brain took in the information. "What the…?" he whispered.

"Dearka?" Nicol asked, concerned.

"'Journalists shall not partake in any personal relationships with their clients or risk suspension or termination…?'" Dearka glanced at Yzak. "Does that mean she'd be fired?"

"If her bosses found out you two were dating," Yzak responded.

"But that's insane!"

"Not really."

"No, he's right," Kira interceded. "If they found out that Miriallia and you were dating, that could compromise both her and their journalistic integrity. To have one of their reporters dating someone that she was reporting on would make them look bad."

"And hence the contract," Yzak finished. "So the bottom line is, if you two continued your relationship beyond the time when she was reporting on us, it would make it easier for her bosses to find out about it, and since it would violate the contract and they could legally terminate her."

"But why would she do it?" Nicol wondered. "If she cared as much for him as it looked like, why would she choose her job?"

"Because it saved her," Dearka answered out of the blue.

"What?"

"You don't understand. I…uh…listen, what I'm about to tell you, you have to keep this a secret, okay?"

"Sure Dearka," Athrun said.

"Alright. You remember how Miriallia never talked that much about her past?" They nodded. "She was married."

"Married?"

"Yeah. That ended in really ugly fashion and she was pretty much destroyed emotionally because of it. That's when she got the job at the magazine. She told me that when that happened, that was the only thing that kept her going. It was like it saved her."

"Saved her…?" Kira said.

"And if she lost that, I don't think she would have been able to take it," Dearka said. "Now it makes sense."

"But what are you going to do?" Nicol asked. "You said that you loved her. Are you just going to let her go?"

Dearka shrugged. "I…I don't know what else I can do…? I mean…I know how much this job means to her…I don't want to be the reason she has to give it up."

"You don't have to," Yzak interrupted.

"Huh?"

"There's one way you can still be together and she can still keep her job."

"How's that?" Dearka asked in a more desperate tone.

"Kira…" Yzak said. "Remember that law your Father pushed through a few months ago?"

"Yeah."

"What was it about?"

"It was…" Kira's eyes widened. "Oh my God, he's right. There is a way!"

"How?"

"I don't know, Dearka-."

"Kira, please!" Dearka was perilously close to dropping down onto his knees. "Please! I don't want to lose her. I can't…I can't be without her."

Kira whispered something into his ear. "Are you sure?" Dearka asked.

Kira nodded. "That's what it says."

"Wow…" Dearka murmured, placing a hand on his head. "I…I don't know…I don't know if I can do that…"

"Do you love her?" Yzak asked him.

"I just told you, _yes_!" Dearka answered.

"Then what's the problem?" he demanded. "If you care that much for her, you should've probably done this a while ago!"

Dearka turned around and paced back and forth. Finally he said, "You're right…you're absolutely right. I'm gonna do it…I'm gonna do what I have to!"

"Then go, moron!" Yzak said. "She'll be here soon."

"What?"

"It's the last day of her assignment with us. I invited her over to say goodbye," Yzak answered.

Dearka realized something. "Wait…did you…?"

"Hurry up and go, you idiot! She'll be here soon!"

Dearka smiled. "Thanks, guys! I'll be back!" He turned and sprinted out of the Breath Easy.

Kira, Athrun, and Nicol all looked at Yzak at once. "Yzak…?" Kira murmured. "So all this was…?"

Yzak removed his cigarette from his mouth and put it out in the ashtray. "Don't even think it."

Athrun shook his head. "I will never understand your way of thinking, Yzak."

"You couldn't if you tried," he responded. "Now come on. We've got work to do."

"What do you mean?"

"Athrun, go get the acoustic guitars and tune them. Nicol, bring out your organ and hook it up. Kira, come with me."

"Yzak, what are we doing?" Kira asked.

"Rehearsing."

* * *

One year.

It had been exactly one year to the day since Miriallia had been assigned to cover _Iron Fist_ on its world tour. When she had first arrived at the studio for her first meeting with the band, she had been incredibly nervous. This was her first major assignment for the magazine; previously she had been given small-time assignments dealing with ordinary goings on in Orb. Compared to those, this was a monumental task. She would accompany the band around the world on their upcoming tour and submit weekly articles for the magazine detailing her experiences with the five members and their entourages.

At first she didn't know if she would be able to handle such a task, but within the first five minutes of meeting the band, she realized that this next year would be one she would never forget.

As she pulled into the parking lot of the studio for what would be the last time, her mind recalled everything that they had done together. Finishing the latest album, promoting it on national television and radio, the euphoria of the album's release, the start of the world tour in Europe, following the band to America, and finally back home to Orb. She had also gotten to know each member of the band on a much more intimate level than she would have anticipated. Now, she didn't see them as merely rock stars who she was profiling for a major publication; they were her friends.

When she thought of Dearka however, her stomach sank. She remembered all the great times they had had together in cities such as London and Chicago, having dinner together whenever they could find a spare moment, and their time alone after the tour had ended. Then she remembered the last time she had seen him, how she had lashed out at him when she had said that they couldn't be together any longer. She really couldn't blame him for how he had reacted, but that didn't make her feel any better.

She hoped that their final meeting wouldn't go off badly, that was the last thing she wanted. All she wanted was to leave this assignment peacefully and make sure that she left on good terms with everyone involved, including him.

She parked her car and walked toward the entrance to the Breath Easy. Unlike her first time here a year earlier, she was dressed in a more casual manner; a cherry red shirt and black dress trousers paled in comparison to what she had worn here on her first day, but unlike then, now she knew that no one on the other side of the door would judge her on how she looked or acted. And it was without hesitation that she knocked and prepared herself to say goodbye.

Much to her surprise it was Andy who answered the door. "Hey, Miriallia," he said cheerfully.

"Hello, Mr. Waltfeld. I'm just here to say goodbye. Yzak should've told you I was coming."

"Yes. We've been expecting you. Come on in."

She followed Andy into the deserted Breath Easy. "Where is everyone?"

"They're in the studio," he responded. "They've been working for the past few hours."

"Ah. Of course."

"Don't worry, they haven't forgotten about you," he reassured her. "Come on in. They'll be happy to see you."

"Oh, I don't have to. I can just wait."

"Nonsense. As much as you've meant to them this past year, trust me, they'll be _more_ than happy to have you here."

Miriallia conceded. "Okay. If you say so."

He took her into the control room where Natarle was sitting behind the sound board. She felt her insides twist slightly as she entered; she thought that maybe she wasn't ready to see Dearka yet, but when she looked into the adjacent recording room, she was surprised to see that he was not there.

Kira, Yzak, and Athrun sat in a triangle, with Yzak's back to the control room. Kira and Athrun each held acoustic guitars which she had never seen before, while Nicol was situated in his usual place off to the left behind one of his many piano-style instruments.

"Where's Dearka?" she asked carefully, not wanting to sound too desperate to know. The painful words they had directed at one another only a week before were still fresh in her mind and they still hurt tremendously.

"He had to go out and get something," Andy responded from beside her. "He said he'd be right back." Almost absent-mindedly he added, "He also said that he had something he wanted to say to you."

"Oh." Miriallia swallowed uneasily. "Oh…"

Andy spoke into the talkback. "Hey guys!" All four of the men in the recording room turned toward the control room window. "Look who's here!"

"Hey Miri!" Kira called out as all four of them waved. Miriallia smiled and waved back, but didn't say anything.

"Sorry we didn't greet you personally," Athrun said into Kira's talkback. "We got really caught up in rehearsal."

Andy gave her the talkback. "That's okay," she said. "I just came to say goodbye. If you're busy I'll just leave."

"No!" Kira added, "Please stay. We'll play something for you."

Miriallia was taken aback. "For me? Why?"

Kira and the others glanced at each other. "Think of it as a thank you. For being so awesome this past year."

Still surprised at the request, Miriallia couldn't help but smile. "Okay. If you insist," she laughed. "What are you going to play?"

"Why don't we show her what we've been rehearsing all afternoon?" Athrun suggested. His band mates nodded.

"For once, this one wasn't written by us," Kira explained.

"Who wrote it then?"

Kira looked in Andy's direction. The older man merely shrugged. "It wasn't written by _me_. Arthur and Kisaka wrote it. My band did the original version," he said to Miriallia.

She nodded in understanding. Then she said, "What about Dearka? Won't you need him?"

The four band members in the recording room looked at each.

"No," they said in unison.

Miriallia was surprised, but she found herself relaxing, knowing that she wouldn't have to face him just yet. Instead, she waited pleasantly as Kira counted off, "One…two…three…four…"

Athrun was the first to start playing. He strummed his acoustic guitar serenely, producing a sweet, almost folk sounding riff that was very light and easily to listen to. He played by himself for one stanza before Kira joined him, playing the same riff in unison with him. That lasted for another stanza before Yzak, playing his typical SG, added a slightly different, but no less melodic part on top of the two existing parts.

While the music was a stark contrast to the stuff they usually played, Miriallia wasn't surprised that musicians of their caliber could produce something so beautiful. What she was surprised about, was how much she found herself getting caught up in the melody of the song. That had never happened before in the time she had been with the band; sure she had been excited to hear them play, but she had never felt _this_ excited before.

Eventually, Nicol joined in with a simple, yet angelic organ part that fit underneath the three guitars. They played on for a few stanzas before the melody abruptly stopped and dissolved away, with the exception of Nicol's organ which remained.

It was then that Kira began to sing.

_If the sun refused to shine,_

_I would still be loving you._

_When mountains crumble to the sea,_

_There would still be you and me._

With only the organ to back him up, Kira's voice suddenly took on a deeper, more emotional feel to it, something Miriallia had never quite heard from him before. What's more, she found herself being drawn more and more into the music itself, as if it had opened a door into a new world.

The guitars returned after Kira's last verse, this time with a different, but no less beautiful melody. Kira sang along with them.

_Kind woman, I give you my all._

_Kind woman, nothing more._

Suddenly, Miriallia found herself somewhere strikingly different, yet surprisingly familiar.

She saw herself. On the day that she first knocked on the door to the studio and was welcomed into the world of the greatest band in the world. She remembered how she felt, the great relief of having all the pressure she had put on herself evaporate in an instant. And then the happiness she had felt after the first few weeks with them, having received the warm feelings of openness, love, and compassion from each member of the band.

She remembered the first interview, where they had divulged their pasts to her. It had been like any other conversation between friends; the recalling of the greatness of memories long gone, the laughter that had consumed much of the interview, and the happiness that had come as a result.

_Little drops of rain whisper of the pain,_

_Tears of loves lost in the days go by._

_My love is strong,_

_With you there is no wrong._

_Together we shall go until we die,_

_My, my, my…_

She remembered the first trip overseas and the first concerts in Europe. The feeling of having millions of strangers cheer for one entity and giving them everything that they had to offer in mind, heart, and spirit. The great cities of Europe flashed before her eyes; Berlin, Rome, Paris, London. She remembered them all and the memories that they had created there.

Then on to America, a land that she had never been to. The sprawling hills and valleys, the vast rivers and lakes, the endless sea of skyscrapers that seemed to go on forever. Everything that she had treasured about her time in that nation returned to her, enveloping her spirit in a torrent of goodwill and heartfelt emotion.

_An inspiration is what you are to me._

_Inspiration, look see._

Everyone and everything she had met and encountered on the journey returned to her in her memory.

The kind words spoken by those who would typically not speak them. The gestures of gratitude that would normally not have been carried out in an everyday situation. The smiles on the faces of every man, woman, and child that stood in endless lines for hours on end, just for a two-hour encounter with five total strangers who would move them in ways they could have never previously imagined.

And finally back home to Orb, to a familiar landscape that had changed so much during her time with the family that was the band.

_And so today, my world it smiles,_

_Your hand in mine, we walk the miles._

_Thanks to you it will be done,_

_For you to me are the only one._

_Happiness, no more be sad,_

_Happiness…I'm glad._

_Family? _Yes…that was what it had become.

What had started as merely an assignment, a way for her to earn her salary, had evolved into a relationship that could only be described as a family. A family in which none were related by blood and yet were closer than any other relationship would entail. Even now, after a year had gone by, she could still remember what had drawn her to open herself to these complete strangers and become a part of their family.

Kira's open-heartedness, charisma, and showmanship, which would reduce even the most stoic of persons into a mindless being with only their smile to let the outside world that there was still someone home inside their mind. He could draw anyone in close and make them feel as if they were the most important person in the world to them.

Athrun's good-naturedness, charm, and selflessness, which caused him to do whatever it took to satisfy those around him regardless of the consequences heaped upon himself. He was someone who do anything for anyone and never said no a request for a little extra of his already limited time.

Yzak's straight-forwardness and endless creativity, which had made him a giant among men. There were instances where even those who would be considered giants in their own trade would bow down to him and each time he would shrug it off by saying that there was something he still needed to learn.

Nicol's caring, kindness, and simple goodwill, which would be reflected in his reaction to every person he met, even if that person didn't see eye to eye with him. He never wanted to hurt anyone; all he cared about was his music and making sure that that music affected someone in their own unique way.

And Dearka…

_Dearka…_

It was then that Miriallia realized the music had stopped. Everything in the recording room had slowed to a halt. No fingers were strumming guitar strings or pressing organ keys. No voices were singing.

_If the sun refused to shine,_

_I would still be loving you._

_Mountains crumble to the sea,_

_There would still be you and me._

_Dearka…_

Miriallia couldn't stop herself from breaking down in tears. It all came back…everything that had happened between them in this one year.

The first time she saw him, standing cheekily in the doorway to the studio on that very first day. She remembered his smile and her initial reaction to the sight of him. The first time she sat down with him alone to get to know him. The dance they shared backstage during Lacus and Kira's performance. Their first attempt to spend time alone together outside of work in London. Their first date and kiss in Chicago. Lying together in each other's arms after the award ceremony in Orb.

She remembered how it felt to have someone really care about her that much, to have someone who she could lose herself with and let go of real life. She remembered how good it felt…

…And then she remembered tearing herself to pieces after having thrown it all away. It was for that that she now shed her tears, knowing that she would never have another chance-

"Miriallia."

She froze. That voice…

She slowly turned and she saw him. He was standing in the doorway, violet eyes staring deep into her being, penetrating her to her very core. They eyes she had fallen in love with…

"Dearka…" she said, her voice strained. The next thing she knew, she was moving towards him, closing the gap between them and throwing her arms around him, pressing her head to his chest as she cried. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, relishing in the feeling he had been certain would be gone forever.

They stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity, not caring that everyone else that was present was watching them with subtle, yet acute interest.

"I'm so sorry," she whimpered again his chest.

"I'm sorry, too," he said, his own voice breaking. "I'm such an idiot."

"No, I'm an idiot." She looked into his eyes. "I'm an idiot for thinking I could make it without you."

He nodded. "I realized that too. I realized how much you meant to me…how much you still mean to me, Miriallia. You're my world, my everything."

She wiped a tear away from her cheek. "I'm sorry for what I did."

"Don't be," he said. "It was my fault. It's my fault for not realizing this sooner. All this time I didn't know what it meant…our relationship. It all just passed me by." He took her by the hands. "But now I know…I know what has to happen between us…and I'm ready for it."

She smiled. "I'm glad you understand, Dearka."

He nodded. "Then let me just do this." He relinquished his hold on her hands and lowered himself onto one knee.

"Dearka…" she breathed. "What…?"

Her eyes widened when he withdrew the diamond from his pocket. "Miriallia…you mean the world to me. I know I'll never meet another girl like you…I wouldn't want to. I love you. Will you marry me?"

She was stunned into silence. Her mouth opened, but no words came out for an extended period of time. This had come as more than a complete shock; it was next to impossible. "D-Dearka…I…"

He held up a hand to stop her. "Before you answer…there's something you have to know. I know about the contract…the one that says you can't be in any relationship with someone your covering." That was even more shocking. "I want you to know that the last thing I want is for you to be unhappy, and I also know how much that job means to you. But that doesn't change the fact that I want to be together with you for the rest of my life."

"But...if you…then we can't…"

"Yes we can." Her eyes widened again. "Kira?"

They could hear Kira clear his throat through the talkback. He spoke articulately. "Article 2, Section 4 of the Orb Union Marriage Outline Statute, passed June 27th of this year. 'Any written or oral contract disrupting, blocking, or forbidding union between two consenting individuals shall be voided.'"

Miriallia again was shocked. She looked back down at Dearka. "That's exactly what it says."

"Then…it's a…"

"Loophole," Athrun answered for her. Kira gave him a smirk and a playful shove.

"Yeah, a loophole," Dearka continued. "It means that you won't lose your job…and we can be together. Provided you say yes, that is."

Miriallia was still stunned. Everything had come at her so fast and yet now everything was falling into place. Something that she had considered impossible seconds earlier, was now so close to becoming a reality.

"Then…that means…that means…" she said, her voice breaking again.

There came a sigh over the talkback. "It means if you say yes, you keep your job and you two live happily ever after," Yzak said nonchalantly. "If you say no, you're both miserable."

Dearka bit back a scalding rebuke. Instead he smiled at her. "Yeah…what he said."

Miriallia didn't speak for a long time. Her head was spinning, her heart racing, her insides twisting. And yet…all she could think about was him, kneeling before her, offering her a ring, and the chance to be with him forever.

She slowly smiled as another tear cascaded down her cheek. She nodded slowly.

"Yes…" she cried. "Yes, I will marry you…!"

His smile could light up the entire nation. He stood and embraced her, enveloping her and holding her closer than he ever had before. And he too cried.

In the recording room, his band mates applauded, giving their cheers to the newly reunited couple. Even Andy and Natarle, who were known for the stoicism, were smiling.

"I love you, Miriallia," he whispered.

"I love you, Dearka," she answered.

Yzak again took the talkback. "I hate to interrupt a romantic breakthrough, but I have to remind you Dearka, we have a deadline."

Dearka's eyes snapped open. "Right," he said. He loosened his hold on her slightly. "Do you mind?"

She nodded, brushing away her tears. "You go do your work. I'll be waiting."

He smiled. "I'll have it done in one take, Natarle."

"Thank God," she answered.

Miriallia watched him enter the recording studio and receive congratulations from each of his band mates. Soon they would all emerge and congratulate her as well.

After nearly destroying herself and pushing away the one thing she wanted most of all, she had been given a second chance. And once again, she was part of the family.

* * *

**AN:** _Thank You_ is a song written and recorded by Atlantic Records recording artists, _Led Zeppelin_. I am not affiliated with either of these entities and do not own the rights to this song.


	20. Reunited

**AN:** This chapter contains material that may exceed the T-rating. I attempted to tone it down as much as I could to make it acceptable, but it still may be a bit too much for some readers. You have received fair warning.

* * *

As Dearka had predicted, it only took one take for the necessary sound to be recorded. The band was able to complete the recording by the time evening rolled in and with Andy and Natarle being their usual selves, the record company would get their songs completed on time.

The sky had darkened when Yzak stepped through the door to the Breath Easy and into the parking lot adjacent to it. Cool, dry air had replaced the heat and humidity that had been present earlier in the day and there was no breeze at all, despite the studio's close proximity to the ocean.

Yzak lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. The day had been a lot harder than it should have been; Dearka had allowed his personal problems to get in the way of his job and that was what had made Yzak mad. Bands had been destroyed in the past by members not being able to deal with their own problems and bringing it into the group itself, causing disenfranchisement and dissent amongst the members. Yzak wasn't about to let that happen to _Iron Fist_; this band was what he was. In effect, this band was his life and Dearka had been perilously close to steering it onto a dangerous course.

That was why he had done what he did.

"I can't believe you did that, Yzak."

Yzak blew smoke out of his nose and barely glanced behind him at the speaker. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Behind him, Nicol shook his head. "Typical Yzak. Even when he helps a friend with love problems, he still won't drop his own anti-love crusade."

Yzak snorted. "You watch too many movies."

Nicol stepped beside him and folded his arms. "So did Dearka tell you what had happened?"

Yzak removed the cigarette from his mouth and sighed. "I pretty much figured it out on my own," he admitted. "He'd been acting like that all week before we got here. I didn't say anything because I wasn't sure at first; he wasn't even telling _me _what was up initially."

"Then how did you figure it out?"

"I asked Miriallia."

Now it was Nicol who snorted. "Well, that worked."

Yzak nodded. "She didn't tell me directly, but when I invited her to come see us at the studio one last time, she was reluctant at first. I couldn't figure out why, but then when I mentioned Dearka, she got really quiet."

"That makes sense. I can see how would come to the conclusion that they had had a falling out," Nicol said.

"All of us had seen how close they had gotten during the tour, so I was curious as to what made them do that. That's when I started snooping around and I eventually was able to discern that there could be something in her contract forbidding her from entering a relationship with him."

"But since you couldn't get a copy of the contract yourself, you couldn't be sure."

"That's why I had Kira get it. When I asked him, I was assuming that that was the reason for this whole thing."

Nicol frowned. "What would you have done if you had been wrong? If it had been something else entirely that caused it, what would your solution have been?"

Yzak puffed on his cigarette and closed his eyes. "I was going to try to force them back together again."

Nicol couldn't help but laugh. "Nice, Yzak. It's probably a good thing that you were right."

"I know, I know. So when's the wedding?"

"Two weeks from tomorrow," Nicol answered, his voice carrying traces of excitement. "I can't believe it. I can't believe Krystal's going to be my wife."

"Believe it, Nicol. It's right around the corner."

"Are you going to be there, Yzak?" Nicol asked. "At the wedding, I mean."

Yzak glanced quickly at him. "I'm assuming you're going to want us to play at the reception, right?"

"That would be nice."

Yzak sighed. "Alright, I'll be there. Just the reception though…I hate weddings."

"I know, I know," Nicol repeated. "We'll look forward to you gracing us with your presence, Yzak. Who knows…maybe by being there you'll realize that there's hope for you, yet."

Yzak waved his hand nonchalantly at him. "Get out of here, Nicol." Nicol took his leave, still laughing as he did so.

Yzak himself remained outside for a few more minutes. He hadn't planned on bringing up the wedding, but when he did, he couldn't tell Nicol that he wouldn't be in attendance. Despite his bleak past when it came to romance and love, Yzak could not bring himself to say no to attending the wedding of a dear friend.

The mention of the wedding had also caused Yzak to think of someone else. Someone who miraculously had done the impossible and begun to warm his heart from the deep freeze that he had self-imposed upon himself. Just thinking of her now and recalling Nicol's previous statement about the upcoming wedding made Yzak wonder.

_Maybe it's time,_ he thought to himself. _Maybe it's time I let myself feel like that again._

* * *

Athrun returned home and parked his car in the driveway of the house that he shared with Cagalli. He retrieved his bass, secure in its case, from the trunk of his car and slammed it shut, perhaps as a last means of ridding himself of all the bad energy that had gripped the band earlier in the day.

As he walked toward his front door, he saw Myrna, Cagalli's hand-maiden and servant, approaching from the opposite direction. "Evening, Myrna."

"Good evening, Master Athrun."

Athrun rolled his eyes. "I've told you, you don't have to call me that, Myrna."

"Yes, Master Athrun."

Athrun sighed. "Is Cagalli home?"

Myrna nodded. "She's upstairs, I believe."

"Thank you."

"Did the recording sessions go well?"

Athrun managed to smile. "Well enough."

Athrun opened the front door and stepped inside. He set his guitar case down against the wall in the next corridor and removed his shoes. "Cagalli?" he called.

"Athrun, is that you?" he heard her respond.

"Yeah, it's me. Where are you?"

"Upstairs."

Athrun trundled up the stairs onto the upper level of the house. He found Cagalli in their bedroom, sitting on the edge of their bed looking over a stack of paperwork.

"Evening, beautiful," he said.

She smiled at him. "Evening yourself, handsome." They kissed shortly and sweetly. "How was your day?"

Athrun paused. "Uneventful," he eventually said, plopping down on the bed beside her. "So…what are we doing now?"

Cagalli glanced at him and then back at the document she was examining. "Typical government stuff." She handed the paper to him. "This is the outline of the proposal the Council is going to be looking into next week."

"Ah…fascinating," Athrun said, feigning interest as he looked at, but didn't bother reading, the document.

"And then, we went over the budget," Cagalli continued, retrieving another set of documents from the mass beside her.

"Oh, that sounds fun."

"Oh, it was," Cagalli said sarcastically. "Would you like to look?"

Athrun accepted the large stack of paper from her and leafed through it. "You went through _all_ of this today?"

She laughed. "That's what I'm going to have to do this weekend."

"Oh goody," Athrun answered. "Was this all you did today?"

"Pretty much."

He snorted. "I'm beginning to understand why Kira became a rock star."

"What, you mean he wouldn't enjoy this?"

Now he laughed. "I really don't think so, Cagalli."

"Whatever you say. Oh…by the way…there's something else I should probably show you."

Athrun sighed lightly. "More paperwork?"

"Not exactly."

"Ooh, suddenly I'm excited."

"I hope you are," she said lightly.

"Well, let me it see whatever it is, then," he maintained. "Don't make me wait all night."

"Okay, if you want to see it that badly."

"Believe me, I do," Athrun said, his voice still containing traces of sarcasm.

"Here you go."

She handed him something else besides paperwork for once. Athrun took hold of a small item, barely bigger than his thumb. He held it before his eyes and frowned. "What the…?"

The device was plain white and had an oblong shape to it. It was so ordinary-looking that Athrun wondered what could possibly have caused Cagalli to think he would be interested in such a thing. The only other distinguishing feature the device had were two black lines in the center…

_Wait a minute…_

Athrun's mouth dropped when he realized what it was. He snapped his head toward Cagalli and found her smiling excitedly back at him.

"Cagalli…a-are you…?"

She nodded and murmured an affirmative, making no effort to hide her excitement.

Athrun brought his hand up to his forehead, his body going completely numb with the realization of what all of this meant. He breathed shallowly as he stood on shaky knees and took a step forward.

"Athrun?" Cagalli asked nervously. "Are you okay?"

Athrun slowly clenched his free hand into a fist. "Yes…" he said in a hushed voice. Adrenaline flowed through his body as a smile crept onto his face. "Yes…_Yes_!" he shouted, dropping down onto his knees and raising his arms up as high as they would go.

Behind him, Cagalli's worry evaporated and she smiled. "Athrun…"

He turned around quickly and scooped her up in his arms. "Cagalli…I…I can't believe it…I'm gonna…I'm gonna be Dad, I…I'm so happy!"

"Oh, Athrun, I'm so happy too," Cagalli squealed as he twirled her around ecstatically.

"When did you know? I mean, when did you find out?"

"This morning," she admitted. "I went to the doctor this afternoon to make sure and they confirmed it."

"Really? How is it?" Athrun asked, dropping down onto his knees again and pressing his head against Cagalli's belly. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

Cagalli laughed. "Athrun, I'm only two weeks into it," she said. "We won't know that for a while, yet."

"Oh…" he said, sounding dejected. He stood up and took her into his arms again, holding her close. "I'm so happy, Cagalli."

"I'm glad you are," she responded, burying her face in his chest. "Athrun…we're going to be parents…"

Athrun could hear the disbelief in her voice. He couldn't help but give in to disbelief as well, but that was overshadowed by the sheer joy that had come over him.

* * *

"I'm so sorry."

After leaving the studio together, Dearka and Miriallia had returned to her apartment, the scene of their heated argument and falling out the week before. But now, their relationship rekindled and themselves newly engaged, they huddled close together on her bed, Dearka holding her hand in both of his.

"I'm such an idiot," he whispered to her, stroking her slender hand in between his own. "I should've realized before how much you meant to me."

"Don't think you were the only one who was stupid," she responded. "I'm the one who was an idiot for letting something like my job take precedence over you. My job…" Miriallia sounded like she was mad at herself.

"No, I don't think you were stupid at all for what you did," he answered. She raised her head, eyes brimming over with tears, and looked into his own. "From what you've told me…I wouldn't have been mad at all. Instead, I would've been sad…sad that I probably wouldn't get to see you again."

She smiled. "I tore myself up all this week thinking about that," she admitted. "I was so mad with myself for what I did to you…how I broke your heart…"

He wrapped his arms around her. "You didn't break my heart at all," he whispered into her ear. "You saved it."

She looked at him again. "What?"

"If I hadn't met you that day…" he said, referring to the first day he had opened the door for her at the studio, "I would never have known what true love is." He reached forward to stroke her cheek. "I know I'll never meet another girl like you, Miriallia…you're one in a million…a single jewel amongst a mass of sand."

Her return smile made his insides turn themselves inside out. "Thank you."

He smiled back at her. "You don't have to thank me for-."

"Not that," she interrupted. She took his hand once again. "For saving _me_. Dearka…before I met you…I didn't think I would ever fall in love again. I had promised myself that I wouldn't put myself in that situation again…where someone could break my heart. But then I met you…and I couldn't keep that promise..." She was crying again.

Dearka took her in his arms and kissed her forehead gently. "It's okay…it's okay…" he soothed her. "I love you so much, Miriallia."

She drew back to look at him. "I love you too, Dearka."

Their lips met, awkwardly at first, but then relaxing and drinking in the taste of one another's lips. It seemed all in desperation; as if they were afraid that this would be the last chance they would have to be with one another, instead of being the first night of their engagement. Their hands roamed each other's bodies, covering every inch in a matter of seconds without breaking the kiss which was becoming more passionate and more intense by the second.

Finally, it was the need for air which caused them to reluctantly break the kiss. She was kneeling before him on the bed, arms wrapped around his neck with his own arms draped around her slender waist.

"What are we doing?" she asked, out of the blue.

He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. "I don't know," he answered bluntly. "But whatever it is…I think I like it."

They kissed again, his hand reaching behind her to stroke her back, feeling how her body curved beneath his touch.

She pressed her hand to his chest and smiled. "Me too," she breathed.

She stood up and unbuttoned his shirt, blue eyes bugging at the sight of his muscular chest. He placed his hands on her hips to draw her close and kiss her lips before moving to her jaw line and neck. She moaned sensually as she felt his fingers slowly unzip her fly.

"Uh-uh," she murmured, stopping him.

He drew back, confused, wondering if she wanted to stop, but she simply took him by the hands and pulled him to his feet.

She rotated herself around so that she was up against the bed and sat down it. She lifted her right leg up, pointed it at him, and he nodded in understanding. He took hold of her heel and slipped off her boot and sock before repeating the process with her other foot. She lifted her hips and he removed her trousers, her legs appearing, the smell of roses enveloping him.

He divested himself of his own pants and straddled her. She looked up at him with wide, but approving eyes. He kissed her lips, her shirt-tails sliding up revealing her petite middle, which he kissed.

He moved upwards, her nipple hardening in his mouth as he traced cool, wet circles around it with his tongue. She squirmed beneath him as one of his hands kneaded her other breast gently, his thumb flicking across her sensitive nipple, while his other hand snaked down her side, beneath the soft fabric covering her waist and slipped inside her.

He slipped her panties off and buried his face in her mound, licking. Miriallia's reaction was louder than she meant it to be, but she couldn't help it; he was making her entire body swell with ecstasy. His tongue penetrated deep inside her and licked her clean, her juices flowing out onto his chin which he lapped up excitedly.

They switched positions and her lips encircled his penis and sucked him in hard. She ran her fingers up the inside of his shaft and licked every inch of him. Dearka clenched his jaw shut and panted through his nose as she sucked on him. His body was drenched with sweat.

He couldn't believe how satiny she felt when he pressed inside her, her walls tightening around him as he pushed deep inside her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as they moved, her hips bucking upwards in motion with his own. He grunted when he felt her nails dig into his back and she cried out his name as she climaxed, her body going limp beneath his own. He released shortly thereafter, his breathing deepening to a heavy sigh.

Time passed as their energy slowly returned to them. Miriallia lay on her belly, her chin resting on top of one of the soft pillows. She had never intended to go that far with him this soon, but once it had begun, she couldn't bring herself to stop. The feeling had been too intense and too overpowering for her to resist. She realized that she had wanted this, or more precisely, she had _needed_ this.

She closed her eyes and moaned passionately as she felt him gently kiss the small of her back, making her shiver. He traced kisses up her spine and between her shoulder blades before nuzzling his face in her hair. "You okay?"

She hummed in satisfaction as she turned herself over beneath him and snaked her arms around his neck. "I'm better than okay…" she murmured.

He smiled. "I'm glad." He kissed her again. "So this is how it feels…"

"Huh?"

"To love someone this much."

She smiled back up at him. "It only gets better from this point," she answered.

"I look forward to the rest of our lives then," he said. He kissed her. "I love you."

"I love _you_." They spent the rest of the night in each other's arms.


End file.
